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Portugal Public Ministry charges four in Zolgensma treatment case
The Portuguese Public Ministry has filed charges against four individuals in connection with the 2019 treatment of Luso-Brazilian twins at Lisbon's Hospital de Santa Maria. The children received Zolgensma, a drug used to treat spinal muscular atrophy, which costs approximately two million euros per person.
Three of the defendants—former Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales, Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, and former clinical director Luís Pinheiro—face charges of prevarication in apparent concurrence with abuse of power. The twins' mother, Daniela Martins, is accused of qualified fraud.
The investigation follows findings from the Inspeção-Geral das Atividades em Saúde, which concluded that the children's access to neuropediatric consultations was illegal. An internal audit by Hospital Santa Maria also noted that the scheduling of the first consultation by the Secretary of State for Health was an exception to established rules.
Entities
António Lacerda Sales · Daniela Martins · Hospital de Santa Maria · Luís Pinheiro · Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa · Nuno Rebelo de Sousa · Procuradoria-Geral da República · Public Ministry
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Public Ministry has filed charges against four individuals regarding the treatment of Luso-Brazilian twins with the drug Zolgensma. www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] Zolgensma is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy, a neurodegenerative disease. www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 4 SOURCES] Three defendants are accused of prevarication in apparent concurrence with abuse of power, while one is accused of qualified fraud. www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 4 SOURCES] The charges relate to the 2019 treatment of Luso-Brazilian twins at Lisbon's Hospital de Santa Maria using the drug Zolgensma. www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Zolgensma treatment costs approximately two million euros per person. www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] The accused include former Secretary of State for Health António Lacerda Sales, Nuno Rebelo de Sousa, former clinical director Luís Pinheiro, and the twins' mother, Daniela Martins. www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [○ 1 SOURCE] An internal audit by Hospital Santa Maria concluded that the scheduling of a first hospital consultation by the Secretary of State for Health was the only exception to the rules in this case. www.dn.pt
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Inspeção-Geral das Atividades em Saúde concluded that the access to neuropediatric consultation for these children was illegal. www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt
- [● 3 SOURCES] The Public Ministry accused four people of prevarication, embezzlement and abuse of power. www.diarioleiria.pt · www.dn.pt · www.sabado.pt