“The OM became aware of the situation through a television report. It did not have direct knowledge (…) and immediately, early Saturday morning, the OM sent a letter to ULS Santa Maria requesting explanations about the situation,” stated Carlos Cortes, on the sidelines of the 80th-anniversary celebrations of the CUF network of hospitals and clinics, at Convento do Beato in Lisbon.
The statement was in response to the news by CNN Portugal last Friday, revealing that a dermatologist from Hospital Santa Maria allegedly earned 400,000 euros for working ten additional Saturdays in 2024, with one of the days devoted to removing benign lesions from parents.
“We know this involves various professional classes, not just doctors. There are other professionals involved as well, and the OM will await the hospital’s response to possibly develop internal mechanisms for handling such situations,” he said.
Carlos Cortes emphasized that the OM plays “a very important role” in regulating the profession and, if necessary, will refer the matter for disciplinary evaluation, but only after receiving a response from ULS Santa Maria.
“I cannot base my actions on appearances; I must rely on concrete facts. As far as we know, the Health Activities Inspectorate (IGAS) will conduct an assessment in all units across the country, including IPO, and that is commendable. There has to be a process of transparency; we must understand how things are functioning,” he noted.
He highlighted a “very relevant problem” from the perspective of the ULS management, stressing that IGAS “should be in close contact” with the OM.
“So far, we do not have concrete facts or evidence. At this stage, the OM cannot intervene,” he stressed, adding that “a statement from the Ministry of Health is important” to understand “exactly if there is a problem and (…) how extensive it is so it can be promptly addressed.”
Carlos Cortes also mentioned that OM has never received “any formal complaint” about a case similar to the one reported by CNN Portugal.
IGAS has launched an investigation today into the additional surgical activities performed within the SNS, following the case of the dermatologist who allegedly received 51,000 euros in just one day of work at Hospital Santa Maria.
It has also initiated an audit of the facts related to the additional surgical activities and the classification of patients in homogeneous diagnosis groups (GDH) at the Dermatology Service of the Local Unit of Santa Maria, from 2021 to the present, IGAS reports in a note to the media.
At stake is the Integrated Management System for Surgical Waiting Lists (SIGIC), which allows surgeries to be performed outside regular hours to alleviate long waiting lines in hospitals.
