Inquiry Splits Verdict on Two Pombal Deaths Amid EMS Strike

Visitors often ask how reliable Portugal’s emergency system is when labour disputes flare up. A new batch of inspection reports offers a mixed answer: one high-profile death in Pombal last autumn was deemed unavoidable, yet investigators found that another fatality on the very same day, in the same town, could have been prevented had help arrived sooner. The contrast is reviving questions about call-centre staffing, response algorithms, and the fine line between delay and negligence—matters with direct consequences for anyone dialling 112 in Portugal.

What the investigators actually said

The watchdog Inspeção-Geral das Atividades em Saúde—better known by its initials IGAS—reviewed 12 deaths linked to the chaotic strike period of October-November 2024. In its latest dossier, IGAS states there is “no causal link” between the death of a 90-year-old man, the delayed ambulance dispatch, and the industrial action gripping the Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (INEM). Medical experts concluded that the man’s underlying condition gave him negligible odds of survival even under “optimised conditions.” That finding clears frontline responders of wrongdoing in this specific event, though it leaves a broader debate unresolved.

Why the conclusions matter to foreigners

Expat communities from Lisbon to the Silver Coast often assume that a European health system will always deliver rapid pre-hospital care. The IGAS trilogy of reports reminds us that geography, manpower and labour relations all shape the reality on the ground. For newcomers who may not speak Portuguese fluently—or who are unfamiliar with local strike etiquette—understanding how the system triages calls becomes as crucial as mastering a handful of phrases like “dor no peito” (chest pain) or “parado de respirar” (not breathing).

A tale of two emergencies in Pombal

On 4 November 2024, Pombal experienced two cardiac emergencies separated by just a few hours. The first victim, aged 53, waited nearly 2 h for advanced life support. IGAS concluded the delay was a decisive factor in his death, pointing to missteps by a Técnica de Emergência Pré-Hospitalar and a contract doctor at the Centro de Orientação de Doentes Urgentes in Coimbra. The second call concerned the 90-year-old; despite similar hold-ups, investigators judged that rapid transport would not have altered the outcome. The legal nuance—negligence in one file, exoneration in the other—illustrates how each minute and each diagnosis change the calculus.

The strike backdrop and call-centre bottlenecks

During the twin greves of late 2024, more than half of all calls to 112 went unanswered at peak moments. IGAS records show 7 326 attempts on 4 November alone, but only 2 510 were picked up. The bottleneck forced callers to hang up and redial, creating multiple incident numbers and further drowning the queue. For expats accustomed to different emergency protocols, the episode exposed how Portugal’s reliance on a single national dispatch centre leaves little margin when staff walk out.

What is changing on the ground

Stung by the criticism, INEM has begun a quiet overhaul. Shifts of extra technicians, a simplified triage script, and an automatic callback robot are being phased in. In Leiria district—where many international residents have settled—a new base for the Ambulância de Emergência Médica has opened in the suburb of Parceiros, trimming precious minutes from runs to the A1 motorway and nearby coastal towns. Officials also started slotting nurses into call-centre roles and redeploying support-unit staff to phone duty during spikes. None of these tweaks guarantee perfection, but early data show average pick-up times edging back below the 10-second benchmark on calm days.

Practical advice for dialling 112

If you face a health crisis, stay on the line. IGAS found that hanging up and trying again only resets your place in the queue and may spawn duplicate files that scatter resources. Keep your fiscal number or passport ID handy; operators now routinely request it to speed up record retrieval. And learn your freguesia—Portugal’s hyper-local parish identifier—because street names repeat across municipalities. Clear, concise details can shave critical seconds before a dispatcher activates the right Viatura Médica de Emergência e Reanimação.

The horizon: more scrutiny, but also more capacity

Eight of the twelve strike-era fatalities have now been fully investigated, with causality confirmed in only two. The Ministry of Health says final reports on the remaining cases will land by year-end, coinciding with a new collective-bargaining round for emergency technicians. Whether systemic reforms stick will hinge on funding, union negotiations and political appetite. For the international community, the message is cautiously optimistic: Portugal’s emergency network is still among Europe’s more accessible, but vigilance—and a working knowledge of how 112 operates—remains the best insurance policy.