A Faro Hospital surgeon is facing suspension after Portugal’s Health Inspectorate (IGAS) upheld serious allegations of medical negligence that may have led to three patient deaths.
The health watchdog has recommended that the surgeon be suspended for 40 days without pay and lose seniority rights. The decision follows complaints filed in 2023 by then-trainee doctor Diana de Carvalho Pereira, who worked under the surgeon and claimed she witnessed a series of alarming errors.
In her initial complaint to police, Pereira detailed 11 incidents between January and March of that year. According to her, three patients died, two required intensive care, and several others suffered permanent injuries – from accidental castrations and loss of kidneys to cases where patients were left dependent on colostomy bags for life.
IGAS’s inquiry later upheld five of the 11 cases, concluding that the surgeon had breached both professional duties and clinical best practices. Investigators wrote that his “negligent conduct” amounted to disciplinary infractions.
Pereira, now a qualified doctor, revealed the outcome on social media this week. Sharing excerpts of the IGAS report, she wrote: “This country is not for the just or the courageous. It is for those who agree to go along with the herd. Since I was never aspiring to be a sheep, I continue to walk here, while I still have energy, time, money, and above all, hope.”
She also criticised the length of the suspension, writing: “How much is someone’s health worth? Here’s your answer: 8 days.”
The case has already sparked wider scrutiny. Following media coverage, the Order of Doctors, the Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) and the Public Prosecutor’s Office opened their own inquiries. At the time, the Ministry of Health insisted it had not received any direct complaints about malpractice at Faro Hospital, but former health minister Manuel Pizarro ordered an independent assessment of the hospital’s surgical unit.
In a press conference, Carlos Cortes, president of the Order of Doctors, had also said the case must be “evaluated more deeply” given the gravity of the allegations.
