The clinical director of Santa Maria Hospital, Rui Tato Marinho, has been dismissed following audits into additional surgeries that uncovered significant financial irregularities. The dismissal was requested by the hospital's administration president, Carlos Martins, and accepted by the Minister of Health this Wednesday. Ana Isabel Lopes, previously the director of the pediatrics service, will step in as the new clinical director.
The audits revealed that hundreds of thousands of euros were paid to professionals in the dermatology department for additional surgeries, with one doctor reportedly earning over €700,000 in just ten days. These payments were linked to the alleged exploitation of the Integrated Management System for Surgical Waiting Lists (SIGIC), allowing for surgeries to be performed on Saturdays for extra pay.
The Inspectorate-General for Health Activities (IGAS) had called for audits across hospitals after the scandal came to light. Preliminary findings confirmed the irregularities, leading to Marinho's dismissal. The audits also highlighted the misclassification of procedures as outpatient surgeries, enabling excessive payments.
Paulo Filipe, former director of the Dermatology Service at Santa Maria Hospital, claimed ignorance of the surgeons' additional earnings during a parliamentary hearing. He defended the use of additional surgeries to tackle long waiting lists, insisting they were scheduled on weekends to avoid disrupting regular surgeries.
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