This Thursday, PS asked the government if it intended for the local health department (ULS) of Santa Maria to cancel the order on the processes of insulting its professionals on social networks, criticizing the “subconscious intention to embarrass” users.
In a question addressed to Health Minister Ana Paula Martins and accessed by the Lusa agency, Socialist MPs João Paulo Correia and Euridice Pereira ask the Guardianship Authority for clarification regarding the ULS Santa Maria order, which threatens to initiate legal proceedings against users who insult health workers on social networks.
The Socialists want to know whether the Minister of Health is aware of this order of August 19, which was announced on Wednesday, and if so, whether it “corresponds to any instructions from the ministry or, in particular, the executive directorate of the SNS.”
“Do you identify its content, especially in terms of its compliance with constitutional provisions?” they further ask.
The Socialists also want Ana Paula Martins to clarify “whether she intends to make recommendations for the repeal of the decree, especially with regard to its general and abstract nature.”
According to PS, the order “represents a precedent of arbitrariness, since it defines a general guideline that imposes on the Legal Department the responsibility not to investigate any criminal offenses specifically identified by the administration or professionals who feel aggrieved, but rather to define itself as its own office, an investigative agent and an informant.”
The PS recognizes that those who commit illegal acts that violate the rights of citizens and institutions “must be subject to instructions and sanctions, if necessary.”
However, for the Socialists, it is “undeniable” that this order “sui Generis demonstrates a subconscious intention to embarrass”, given that users “are unlikely to cease to feel restricted in their freedom of expression in circumstances with which they do not identify or consider inappropriate”, which is “unacceptable from the point of view of the rule of law”.
“It is therefore extremely important to understand the position of the Ministry of Health regarding this general and unique decision,” he explains.
The Santa Maria Local Health Unit (ULS) is initiating legal proceedings against people who insult their health workers on social media, saying the insults go beyond freedom of expression.
“The measure now announced is aimed at protecting the professionals of ULS de Santa Maria and the institution itself from harmful external attacks that undermine the good practices and good name of its teams, published by third parties on social networks,” the institution explained on Wednesday, in a response sent to the Lusa agency.
ULS Santa Maria representatives explained to Luse that “these are offensive publications that go beyond simple criticism and are completely outside the legal channels for users to file complaints, namely through the Citizens’ Office.”
“This measure does not affect the content that each individual professional publishes on their social networks,” he stressed, pointing out that the proposal came from the Legal Authority, “taking into account recent external publications that attack the honor of professionals and, therefore, of the institution’s company itself.”
ULS de Santa Maria stressed that it “hopes not to have to use this legal mechanism against third parties”, stressing that it “will never hesitate to defend the good name and moral integrity of its professionals”.
The Ministry of Health, contacted by Lusa, declined to comment on the matter.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Sandra Hansen, a news website Author and Reporter for 24 News Reporters. I have over 7 years of experience in the journalism field, with an extensive background in politics and political science. My passion is to tell stories that are important to people around the globe and to engage readers with compelling content.