Labor Minister Maria do Rosario Ramalho today accused the acquitted Santa Casa de Lisboa wet-nurse “of having discovered a financial cancer that she cured with paracetamol,” noting that the financial situation had worsened with Ana Jorge.
The Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security is heard by the Commission for Labour, Social Security and Inclusion at the request of the Liberal Initiative and Socialist parties regarding the financial situation of Santa Casa da Misericordia de Lisboa (SCML). ), the internationalization of social games and the dismissal of provider Ana Jorge from the board of directors.
Maria do Rosario Ramalho reiterated that this was not a political dismissal, but rather justified by the fact that it was due to the “very serious situation” of the institution and the fact that the Council had not taken appropriate action in the face of this situation.
“Santa Casa’s very serious financial situation already comes from the previous Mesa, but it has worsened under the previous provider. [Ana Jorge]”, said the minister.
The minister noted that immediately after taking office, she sought to find out about the financial situation of SKML, “confirming” that in addition to the “very serious situation,” there were “disagreements between members of the board.” , which led to a break in the trust relationship with the provider.
“I would like to clarify that the decision to dismiss the Ombudsman and the Board does not have political grounds, as has already been said, but rather managerial grounds associated with an irretrievable loss of trust,” the minister noted.
The official stated that when Ana Jorge took office, based on the data provided to her dating back to June 2023, there was a “probable treasury shortfall” with a deficit of 25 million euros and a treasury balance that in 2021 exceeded 134 million euros to 42. million euros at the end of 2022.
He mentioned interruptions in social games, as well as the suspension of commercial activities of the Portuguese Red Cross hospital, for which the service provider, Ana Jorge, did not provide any reasons.
Faced with this situation, the minister noted that Ana Jorge had not implemented “any strategic restructuring plan” and limited herself to eliminating the remuneration increases of 40 directors amounting to one million euros.
On the other hand, he criticized that personnel costs have increased by about 11 million euros from “2023 to the present.”
Regarding the internationalization of social games, Maria do Rosario Ramalho said the previous provider suspended the process “without a sales plan that could at the same time mitigate unforeseen circumstances.”
He mentioned, by the way, that because of this, the costs of this contingency could amount to 30 million euros, which, combined with the estimated losses of 50 million euros in the internationalization operation, could lead to a loss of 80 million euros.
According to the minister, the 2024 Performance and Budget Plan (PAO) forecasts growth in revenue from social games, despite a “current downward trend.”
He also said that the management of service provider Ana Jorge had led to “an alarming deterioration in the care and social activity of Santa Casa in the municipality of Lisbon.”
Maria do Rosario Ramalho said she met with service provider Ana Jorge on April 12, but she did not present any restructuring plan.
He added that before this he met with the previous minister, Ana Mendes Godinho, from whom he requested information about Santa Casa, since “it is strange that this topic, despite its relevance, was not included in the transition portfolio.”
SV // KMP
Lusa/The End
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.