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With this decision, whose order will be published this Monday or tomorrow, the entire administration of Santa Casa falls, including provider Ana Jorge.
MIGUEL A. LOPES/Lusa
Ana Jorge had taken office about a year ago and inherited the management of an institution going through a serious financial crisis and in need of cash injections from the State. This year alone, 40 million euros were planned.
Investments abroad, especially in Brazil, were identified by the new management as “disastrous”, the managers were compulsorily dismissed and a complaint was made to the courts based on preliminary results of a forensic audit.
The way in which Ana Jorge, who was Minister of Health in a socialist government, led the process related to the problems resulting from the losses in Brazil, has been criticized, as it caused additional legal and judicial problems in Portugal and also in Brazil.
The announcement of the Government’s decision takes place on the same day that the Público newspaper reported that the Government demanded an urgent restructuring plan to provider Ana Jorge.
This request was made in person on April 12th, when the provider and the Ministry of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security met. At the material time, Ana Jorge was given two weeks to present this plan, which she immediately said she was unable to fulfill.
Lisbon Chamber ‘destroys’ SCML’s performance
At the same time that SIC learned of the Government’s decision, the Lisbon City Council threw more ‘tags on the fire’. In statements written by the councilor for Human and Social Rights, Health, Education, Youth, to which SIC had access, with the title “Lisbon Chamber concerned about lack of response from Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) in Social Action ”, the municipality criticizes “the growing inability of this entity to respond in the field of Social Action” despite the “increasing demands that the city has been struggling with”.
Furthermore, recalls the capital’s councilor: “(…) contrary to what happens in other municipalities in the country, in Lisbon the competence of