Portugal’s 112 Service Gains 275 New Ambulances and Streamlined Triage

Families in Braga, Faro and the outskirts of Lisbon have spent the past few months wondering whether an ambulance would arrive in time if an emergency struck. The Government now says a fresh fleet of 275 vehicles—and a sweeping reform of the 112 triage system—will finally shorten the agonising gaps between a distress call and the blaring siren at the front door.

Quick Take

• 275 new vehicles approved for the National Institute for Medical Emergency (INEM)

• Largest fleet renewal in 10 years worth €16.8 M

• Follows a string of deaths linked to slow response times

• New five-tier triage model already live, but unions demand clarity on timing rules

• Experts warn that without hundreds of extra technicians, shiny vans alone will not fix the problem

Painful Lessons From Recent Delays

Within the past year, Portugal recorded a man in Seixal waiting nearly 3 hours, a woman in Quinta do Conde left for 40 minutes and an Algarve resident who held out more than an hour—all of whom died before help arrived. The cases, debated in prime-time talk shows and in the Assembleia da República, convinced even supporters of the status quo that merely patching up the old fleet was no longer enough. The prime minister, Luís Montenegro, opened last week’s fortnightly parliamentary debate by expressing “profunda consternação” and conceding that “people are losing faith in the 112 chain.”

What Exactly Is in the €16.8 M Package?

Unlike earlier piecemeal purchases, this order was designed as a single, phased contract that bundles 163 ambulâncias, 34 Viaturas Médicas de Emergência e Reanimação (VMER) and 78 logistical units ranging from rapid-response motorbikes to command vans. Health-ministry officials stress that each ambulance will be fitted with new cardiac monitors, automatic chest-compression devices and real-time telemedicine links to central hospitals—features that were optional extras on older rigs. The deal is the first to be handled by Espap, the public-procurement clearing house, under tougher life-cycle cost rules.

Can New Vans Fix Slow Response?

Front-line medics are sceptical. Rui Lázaro, who heads the union for emergency-care technicians, told reporters that even if the Government rolled out 300 vehicles tomorrow, “we still lack around 400 staff to crew them.” The latest audit shows that in 2024 VMER units sat idle for 9,172 hours because no qualified doctor or nurse was available. In urban corridors such as Lisbon-Oeiras and Porto-Matosinhos, traffic congestion and the chronic “maca-park” problem—stretchers stuck in emergency-room corridors—add layers of delay that a new engine cannot solve.

Timeline: When Will the Blue Lights Arrive?

Contracts were signed off by the Council of Ministers in early January. The Health Ministry says the first batch should hit the road “close to summer.” Deliveries will unfold in three waves over roughly six months, allowing time for staff training and the installation of radio terminals compatible with the forthcoming SIRESP 2.0 network. Municipalities from Vila Real to Évora are already lobbying to be in the first tranche, arguing that rural areas endure the longest journeys to hospital.

Political Back-and-Forth Over Credit

Opposition MPs insist the purchase is not as new as it sounds. A 2023 Council of Ministers resolution under António Costa authorised up to 312 ambulances, but the tender stalled when financing became uncertain. Conservatives, now in power, counter that the previous plan never cleared Brussels-style scrutiny for value-for-money. The Socialists retort that the present Government simply trimmed the order to make the maths look better. For most voters, the distinction will matter less than whether the nearest ambulance actually shows up.

Behind the New 112 Triage Rules

On 2 January, INEM codified a five-level triage grid—from Emergente (life-threatening, immediate dispatch) to Não Urgente (redirect to SNS 24). While the model mimics systems used in Finland and the UK, the clock-start definition remains foggy. Does the timer begin when the caller finishes describing symptoms or when an operator validates the address? The National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians wants a written protocol by the end of the month, warning that without it, response-time statistics risk being “massaged.”

The Bottom Line for Residents

If everything proceeds on schedule, people who dial 112 after the summer should see more vehicles, better equipment and clearer triage rules. Yet without decisive hiring, faster hospital handovers and a traffic-management strategy for major cities, the siren’s arrival may still feel too slow. For now, the Government’s wager is clear: restore trust in the emergency chain—or face louder outrage the next time an ambulance fails to make it in time.