In Torres Novas, Santarém district, the signing of the protocols for the renewal of ambulances took place, in a ceremony that was chaired by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido.

The purchase process of these new ambulances was compromised, after the Ministry of Finance did not initially authorize the use of the necessary funds, but was, however, unblocked after a news release in August by the Lusa agency.

According to a statement from the National Institute of Medical Emergency, this ambulance renewal corresponds to an investment of over 3.7 million Euros and aims to “improve the operating conditions” of the emergency system and strengthen the responsiveness to aid requests.

The money is to buy new ambulances, as the old ones needed replacement. INEM currently has 340 medical emergency posts at fire brigades and delegations of the Portuguese Red Cross.

In late August, the agency Lusa reported that INEM planned to buy 75 new ambulances this year to equip emergency medical posts, but the Ministry of Finance did not authorize the use of the necessary money, despite the funding itself.

For the renewal of the vehicles, INEM had presented in 2017 a multi-annual plan to the guardianship - between 2018 and 2021, invoking the “absolute need for renewal” of ambulances, due to the high age of the vehicles, many of them over 12 years old, and their unavailability for mechanical breakdown reasons.

INEM planned to purchase 75 more ambulances this year and had to submit to the Ministry of Finance a request for authorization to use the institute's management balances from previous years, amounting to around five million Euros.

At an early stage, the finances only authorized one million Euros. About a week after the case was reported, the necessary funds were eventually committed.