“From July 1st, the emergency medical air transport service will be provided by aircraft and medical teams from the Portuguese Air Force,” said a joint statement from the Ministries of National Defense and Health.

According to the Government, this solution found by the two ministries, guarantees the National Emergency Service to the Portuguese, until the international public tender for the contracting of the INEM emergency medical helicopter service (SHEM), awarded in March to the company Gulf Med Aviation Services, obtains approval from the Court of Auditors and can be operationalized under the best safety conditions.

On Wednesday, the Minister of Health admitted that there were constraints to having emergency medical helicopters in Portugal from July 1st, but she expected that these difficulties would be overcome.

“We are finalizing solutions so that by July 1st, the emergency medical system will continue to have the aircraft we need in the country”, stated Ana Paula Martins in Porto.

On the occasion, the minister also highlighted that the issue of helicopters was a matter of “great importance” that concerned the Government, claiming that, given that the contract is awaiting approval from the Court of Auditors, the executive would have to be able to “overcome these problems and find solutions to meet its needs”.

On June 5th, the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM) guaranteed that it had alternative scenarios for the eventual impossibility of the contract for the four emergency medical helicopters coming into effect on July 1st, due to a lack of approval from the Court of Auditors.

“These scenarios may involve using the current operator or others that meet the conditions required by INEM”, explained INEM at the time in response to the Lusa news agency, following the warning from the Civil Aviation Pilots Union (SPAC) that the helicopters would not be operational in July.

The international public tender for the contracting of INEM's emergency medical helicopter service was awarded to the company Gulf Med Aviation Services Limited on March 26, after a procedure conducted by the Ministry of Health's Shared Services (SPMS).

The contract signed between the State, through the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM), and the company GulfMed Aviation provides for four H145 D3 helicopters with certified crews, including pilots fluent in Portuguese.

The international public tender was awarded to the company based in Malta for approximately 77.4 million euros.

INEM's emergency system provides for four operational bases with helicopters in Macedo de Cavaleiros, Viseu, Évora and Loulé.