The secretary general of the PCP defended today that the “only refoundation” that INEM needs is to provide it with what it should have and does not have, referring to the strengthening of its human resources and the appreciation of its professionals.
Speaking to journalists after meeting with the Volunteer Firefighters of Sacavém, in the municipality of Loures (Lisbon district), Paulo Raimundo was asked about the statements made by the Minister of Health, who considered that it is necessary to carry out a “refoundation of INEM” .
“The only refoundation that INEM needs to have is to do what INEM should have and doesn’t have”, replied the general secretary of the PCP, arguing that the institute needs “more technicians, to value careers and professions, to fix it and hire more people.”
“And it also needs to be in a position to ensure that the protocols it has with firefighters – more than 90% of all assistance is carried out by firefighters – are complied with and that the prices paid to firefighters are valued”, he stated.
Paulo Raimundo argued that “only by increasing the prices paid to firefighters will it be possible for associations not only to live without counting their pennies every day, but also to value the careers and salaries of their own professionals.”
“Therefore, the refoundation that INEM needs is this: to do what is written and has not been implemented. I know where the minister wants to go with this refoundation: I have said several times that this Government – and I have to take it away the hat – always manages, around each problem that appears, to create a new business opportunity for private companies”, he said.
Asked if he considers that the privatization of INEM could be at stake, Raimundo replied: “From the moment that no one was very clear about excluding us, we became very worried.”
Regarding his meeting with the Volunteer Firefighters of Sacavém, Raimundo highlighted that firefighters respond to “more than 90% of all assistance given in the country” and argued that they need to have “the conditions for this”.
“Human conditions – better working conditions and salary conditions for firefighters – and physical conditions, to be able to respond, namely resources and in particular the issues of ambulances”, he said.
The general secretary of the PCP said that, “unfortunately”, what has happened is that this Government’s fundamental political option “does not correspond to the needs of the populations, nor of the National Health Service (SNS), nor of aid”.
In turn, in statements to journalists, Mário Pina, from the direction of the Sacavém Voluntary Firefighters association, highlighted that the main activity of his fire department is precisely helping the population and stated that he has warned the political authorities that “the Compliance with protocols with INEM is fundamental”, noting that this has not been the case.
Mário Pina stressed in particular that the protocols “should be accompanied by vehicles and they are not”, highlighting that the Sacavém Fire Department’s vehicle fleet is “aged and has high maintenance costs”, in addition to fuel costs.
“But the main problem currently is people: at the moment, it is difficult to choose people due to the low salaries they earn. We work 24 hours a day, we have four teams, each team consists of two people – so we have eight people – and we receive a subsidy fixed 6,690 euros”, he said.
Regarding the new cooperation protocol that will be signed between INEM and the Firefighters League, Mário Pina considered that it will “in no way” respond to the problems of his fire department, stressing that he is only “slightly better paid” than than previous protocols and is quarterly.
“It can help or contribute to this flu season, but from a more general point of view, and from the firefighters’ protocols with INEM, it won’t solve it,” he said.
Source: expresso.pt
