Lacerda Sales Accuses President of Seeking ‘Five Minutes of Fame’ with Twins Investigation

Former health secretary António Lacerda Sales on Tuesday called the investigation launched by the Medical Association into Portuguese-Brazilian twins being treated in Portugal an “unspeakable interference in the activities of a sovereign body.”

Speaking to Rádio Renascença (RR), the doctor and former government official added that he did not make an appointment at the National Health Service (SNS) for the Portuguese-Brazilian twins who were treated at the Santa Maria Hospital with an innovative drug costing four million euros.

Lacerda Sales assured that he “never spoke on this topic” with either the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa or the Prime Minister António Costa, while at the same time he said that he does not remember and is waiting for documentation to comment. about a meeting that will take place with Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, the son of the President of the Republic, who allegedly interfered with the treatment of children.

The President of the Order of Physicians (OM), Carlos Cortes, told Lusa today that he has asked the Disciplinary Council of the Southern Region of the Order of Physicians to evaluate the conduct of the doctors involved in the case of the Portuguese-Brazilian twins to understand whether there is a disciplinary issue that may require intervention.

“Yesterday [segunda-feira]“Given all the information that has reached us, I asked the Disciplinary Council to evaluate this case and evaluate, obviously, the doctors,” including former Health Minister António Lacerda Sales, Carlos Cortes said.

The President emphasized that the OM has the ability to evaluate all doctors, “their behavior, their decisions on ethical and deontological parameters, on good medical practice, on medical behavior, regardless of the level of their decision.”

In response to these statements, Lacerda Sales told Renascença that he had a “clear conscience.”

“Regarding the investigation process carried out by the Order of Physicians, in which President Dr. Carlos Cortez wants to investigate, among other things, my activities as Secretary of State, I would say that this is more like an opportunity for Dr. Carlos Cortez to enjoy your five minutes of attention and glory from the media,” Lacerda Sales said.

“Beyond these five minutes of fame, no other scope of this investigative process can be imagined because, whatever my role at the time, it was not a doctor, but a Secretary of State. Therefore, I would say that we are facing an investigation by the Order of Physicians against a sovereign body of which I was a proud member, and which seems to me an unspeakable interference in the activities of a sovereign body by the Order of Physicians,” he stressed.

Lacerda Sales announced on the radio that he was ready to respond to anyone.

A former government official who was part of Minister Marta Temido’s team reiterated in an interview that “no Secretary of State or anyone else has the right to make appointments with the SNS, nor can they influence or violate conscience or autonomy.” doctor.”