The Government announced this Monday that it has decided to dismiss the board of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, which leads to the departure of the provider and the entire administration.
With this decision, the entire administration of Santa Casa falls, including provider Ana Jorge. The former Minister of Health took office almost a year ago, inheriting the management of an institution that is going through a serious financial crisis and needs injections of money from the State.
Ana Jorge took office as provider on May 2, 2023. This year alone, a capital injection by the State of around 40 million euros was planned.
In the statement, the Government highlights that the administration outgoing “did not take the appropriate measures that were required” when, in June last year, faced with the “imminent cash shortage”.
The administration was not able to “quickly reverse the extremely serious financial situation and the risks of unsustainability” at Santa Casa, the executive adds.
“Over the last year, no strategic or restructuring plan was presented, nor a plan to address the sharp declines felt by the decline in revenue from Social Games, the institution’s main source of income”points out the Government in a statement sent to newsrooms.
According to the newspaper Publicthe new minister responsible for Social Security, Maria do Rosário Palma Ramalho, met with Ana Jorge and highlighted the urgency of an assessment of the financial health of Santa Casa.
At the meeting between the minister and Ana Jorge, which took place on April 12, the Government demanded the presentation of a restructuring plan for the institution within two weeks, with the provider immediately indicating that the deadline would not be met.
“Upon being asked to provide information requested by the guardianship, the outgoing board demonstrated an inability to do so in time”says the Government.
Investments abroad, especially in Brazil, were identified by the new management as “disastrous”, managers were compulsively dismissed