A Brazilian mayor has sparked controversy after confronting two doctors over an alleged romantic encounter during a surprise inspection of a municipal hospital following complaints of delays in attending to patients.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night at the Municipal Hospital Jailton Messias de Souza Albuquerque in Barreiros, Pernambuco State, when Mayor Carlinhos da Pedreira visited the facility to investigate complaints about poor service delivery.
According to local media reports, the mayor arrived at the hospital around 10pm and found several patients waiting for medical attention.
He alleged that three doctors were scheduled for the shift, but only one was attending to patients.
During the inspection, the mayor entered a room designated for doctors’ rest, where he found a male and a female doctor. He accused the pair of sleeping and engaging in a romantic encounter while patients waited for treatment.
In a video of the confrontation that went viral on social media, the visibly angry mayor questioned the doctors, saying, “The emergency department is full of people, and you are here sleeping and dating?”
He also called them irresponsible, threatened to have them arrested and announced their dismissal.
However, the Pernambuco Medical Doctors’ Union (Simepe) challenged the mayor’s allegations, saying the doctors were resting after completing the first 12 hours of intensive medical duties, while a third doctor remained available to attend to patients.
The union’s president, Carol Tabosa, condemned the manner in which the doctors were confronted, stressing that although inspecting public health facilities was a legitimate responsibility of government, it did not justify humiliating medical workers or making insinuations about their private lives.
The Regional Medical Council of Pernambuco (Cremepe) also criticised the mayor’s conduct, stating, “The inspection of public health services does not give any public official the right to expose doctors to public judgment or compromise their honour, image and professional dignity.”
Meanwhile, the Barreiros municipal government announced the termination of its management agreement with the João Paulo II Charitable Association, which operated the hospital.
The local authority said it would temporarily take over the facility’s administration through its Health Secretariat pending the completion of a new procurement process.
