The Ministry of Health has demanded an inquiry into why a critical ambulance was left unmanned by medical staff on a morning when a man died.
The 39-year-old was haemorrhaging and in cardiorespiratory arrest when his wife, a trained nurse, called for the VMER (Viatura Médica de Emergência e Reanimação) emergency ambulance stationed at Caldas da Rainha hospital.
But the doctor ‘on call’ had just clocked off to do his rounds, and his substitute did not show up until two hours later.
The delay spelled disaster for the victim – and now the Socialist’s spokesman for health, MP Álvaro Beleza, has demanded new rules which prohibit any health professional from leaving his or her post until properly substituted.
“It is absolutely unacceptable,” he said of this latest tragedy.
“I also find it incredible that no one seems to have assumed responsibility for this failing”, he told news reporters.
The Ministry of Health inquiry will not go some way to clarifying the incident which has since been beamed across news services and billed as “yet another death” as a result of management problems within the VMER fleet.
As the vehicle was out of commission, the area’s fire service was called in, and firemen worked tirelessly on the victim, both in and outside their vehicle.
But as a spokesman told RTP 1, once they reached the casualty department, the man was pronounced dead.
This latest case comes after another situation in Évora recently when a VMER ambulance refused to go to the aid of two accident victims because, again, the doctor was not in evidence. Both victims died on their way to hospital, having been ‘stabilised’ at the scene by firemen.
