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INEM helicopters over Portugal ready to take off in three minutes

In Portugal, INEM medical helicopters stand ready, taking off in under five minutes to reach remote areas where every second can mean life or death.

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/07/29/race-against-time-in-portugals-skies-inem-helicopters-ready-in-three-minutes

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Transcript
00:01Before the day has even begun, teams are on standby at Portugal's emergency medical
00:07helicopter bases. When a call comes, every second counts.
00:11The time of response in medical emergency is a critical factor. We are at a time of
00:17silence. In three minutes, we can go down in certain cases. Our average is three minutes
00:24of response after activation.
00:26The operation is run by Malta's Gulf Med in partnership with medical teams from Portugal's
00:32National Institute of Medical Emergency. Teams are stationed at four bases across Portugal,
00:38ensuring coverage of almost the entire country. From remote island areas to roads and coastal
00:45zones, the helicopter is able to provide quick assistance. It is equipped with ski-like landing
00:50gear and set of wheels so it can land on virtually any type of terrain.
00:56Quando vamos a caminho e antes de vermos o doente, temos uma informação muito breve
01:01do que é descrito na chamada inicial. Nessa altura, em equipa, vamos discutindo potenciais
01:06cenários que vamos encontrar e antecipar potenciais dificuldades para conseguirmos antecipar e poupar
01:13tempo naquilo que poderemos na abordagem inicial do doente. Depois temos a parte da avaliação
01:18do doente em que avaliamos, estabilizamos e otimizamos. Há um contacto com a central para a decisão
01:25para onde vamos transportar este doente. Depois uma segunda parte do transporte de helicóptero será com o doente.
01:32Meanwhile, in the cockpit, the priority is to ensure everything goes smoothly all the way to the
01:37destination. Generally, we check the weather, we have an idea so that when a primary call comes in,
01:44we can react very fast. If it's night time, that's a bit different because we have to
01:51consider the conditions again and obviously where we're landing and things. Whereas the primary,
01:55we can land almost anywhere, so we can react usually within five minutes.
02:02Missions are divided into two categories. A primary mission is when a team is sent directly to the
02:08scene of the incident. Meanwhile, secondary missions are often transfers between hospital units.
02:14Desde janeiro até agora, foram realizadas cerca de 230 missões com o helicóptero desta base. 160
02:22foram ocorrências primárias, mostrando que este é um meio importante de emergência,
02:27sobretudo no interior do país. Joana Morão Carvalho, para a Euronews, em Évora.
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