INEM chief Paulo Campos already was under suspension after the previous Health Minister Paulo Macedo decided to investigate an allegation that a patient, supposedly known personally to Campos, has been transported by helicopter from Cascais to Abrantes when not gravely ill.
The Health Minister decided this week to dismiss Paul Campos from his post at the head of the National Institute of Medical Emergencies (INEM).
Health Minister Adalberto Campos Fernandes said he "endorsed the proposal for termination of his service" following a recommendation in the final report of the disciplinary proceedings conducted by the Inspectorate of Health Activities.
A statement from the Ministry of Health "reiterates confidence in the INEM as an institution, emphasising the high professionalism of its workers and the quality of its operating performance."
The Inspectorate investigated the actions of Paulo Campos over an allegation that he had interceded in the transport of a patient and ordered him a helicopter transfer. Paulo Campos was informed of his sacking on Monday by his boss, Adalberto Campos Fernandes.
Campos was suspended from office last October while an investigation was carried out. Campos now faces a court hearing following the recommendations of the Inspectorate which concluded that Campos’ action was illegal and "contrary to the public interest" over the helicopter incident.
At the time of his suspension, Paulo Campos welcomed the investigation "after many months of inventions, misinformation, speculation and leaks " and said that "this whole process is rooted in an ignoble lie, as time will prove."
Campos said that yes, he knew the patient, but in transferring him by helicopter he was acting as a doctor and would have authorised such an airlift for any patient in similar circumstances.
Campos has written a letter of explanation to the then minister stating that he only wanted to save a sick person who was "lost in the emergency department of an NHS hospital" which was unable adequately to meet the population's needs.
However, for the Inspectorate, Paulo Campos’ conduct was "contrary to the general principles of ethics and good management," as he had favoured one patient, a family friend, without justification or authorisation in January 2015.
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The patient died a few days later in Abrantes hospital of severe pneumonia which had not been diagnosed, following chemotherapy treatment. Paulo Campos said that if he had not intervened, "Today I would be here to answer a case of negligent homicide."
Comments
And, in a country that is awash with abuses of power, this was well down the scale of importance. Although the TV news speaks of a public selection process we can assume that somebody further up the food chain has their boy lined up for the job.
Far more useful for the little people would be tracking down all the fraud and mismanagement in the Portuguese Health Service. People are dying daily because of this.