INEM

Published 5 November 2026, 15:07

INEM — Instituto Nacional de Emergência Médica (national institute of emergency medicine)

The state service responsible for emergency medical care before hospital: it takes medical calls from 112, decides whom to send, and runs ambulances, intensive care ambulances and helicopters. At its discretion, some call-outs are handled by firefighters' crews (bombeiros) and the Red Cross — they work within the same system.

Where you come across it. Calling 112 when you feel unwell, calling an ambulance for someone in the street, a call transferred from the SNS 24 line to an ambulance.

INEM is not A&E: it gets you to hospital and decides which one. There is no point arguing about the choice of hospital on the spot — it depends on how serious the case is and where the right department is.

Official website: inem.pt

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