They were “rude, arrogant, slanderous”: Ana Jorge promises to tell “the truth” about what the new Government did

Until now, the provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia was relieved of her duties because, according to the Government of Luís Montenegro, she was responsible for “severely negligent actions”. Ana Jorge regrets the methods of the new Executive and wants to be heard in Parliament: “In politics, as in life, not everything goes”

The former provider of Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) Ana Jorge accuses the Government of having dismissed her in a “rude, arrogant and slanderous manner”. In a letter sent to all workers, to which Lusa and CNN Portugal had access, he begins by saying that he received the dismissal decision “with surprise” – two days before completing a year at the head of the institution –, stressing that “it was It’s an honor” to serve SCML.

Meanwhile, CNN Portugal confirmed that Ana Jorge has already asked to be heard in Parliament.

“The statement issued by the Ministry of Labor is, due to the rude, arrogant and slanderous way in which it justifies my dismissal, a reason for me to feel disappointed”, reads the letter. The former Santa Casa provider admits that “they were eleven very tough months”, in which, she argues, the team worked “towards financial sustainability, employee motivation” and in favor of the social commitment made to “thousands of people” . “That’s why – because of so much work, carried out in such a short time and because of the solid restructuring plan that we designed and wanted to implement – that today I don’t feel so sad. For this, just for this,” she says.

He emphasizes that he has always understood, “and today more than ever”, that “in politics, as in life, not everything counts” and leaves the guarantee that “in his own time and in his own right” he will tell his truth in relation to the what happened. “It is the truth of someone who served SCML with the same dedication and spirit of mission with which I performed various public and civic functions throughout my life”, he highlights.

In the end, he leaves “one last word” for all the institution’s workers so that they “do not give up on SCML”, arguing that the institution needs each one of them to fulfill “its action towards the most vulnerable”.

The Government today dismissed the ombudsman and members of the Board, with immediate effect, and justified the decision with “serious negligent actions” that affected the management of the institution.

According to the information available in the order, the Government understands that there is a lack of “a financial restructuring plan, taking into account the imbalance of accounts between the current and capital structure” and that Ana Jorge has been unable to present this plan “since taking office until now ”.

Ana Jorge took office on May 2, 2023, chosen by the previous socialist government of António Costa, and inherited an institution with serious financial difficulties, after years of pandemic and a process of internationalization of social games, carried out by the administration of provider Edmundo Martinho, which may have caused losses of around 50 million euros.