A dispute has erupted over the legality of nearly €179,000 in payments made to a top surgical director at a prominent Porto hospital, with health inspectors and hospital administration offering conflicting accounts of the funds’ legitimacy.
Eurico Castro Alves, the Director of Surgery at the Santo António Local Health Unit (ULSSA), is at the center of the controversy. According to preliminary findings from the General Inspectorate of Health Activities (IGAS), Alves received approximately €178,822 between 2021 and 2025. The payments were tied to his role as coordinator for additional surgeries performed outside of standard working hours under the Integrated Management System for Surgery Patients (SIGIC).
The IGAS, which opened an investigation into the matter in November 2024, has labeled these payments “irregular,” asserting that they violate the legal framework governing the SIGIC system. The inspectors claim the funds, which represented 0.4% of the total value of the extra surgical work, were not owed to the director.
The case underscores the complexities of managing incentive-based pay and administrative bonuses within public health systems, where transparency regarding “extra-hour” production is often under scrutiny.
However, the ULS Santo António in Porto considers payments to Castro Alves “absolutely legal”. In an official response on April 12, 2026, the health unit defended the distribution of funds, explaining that while about 50% of the revenue from additional surgeries is retained by the institution to cover infrastructure and consumables, the remaining balance can be distributed among the teams.
The hospital administration maintained that the law allows flexibility in how these remaining funds are allocated among various staff members, including coordinators, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses.
For his part, Castro Alves—who previously served as the coordinator for the Government’s National Health Emergency Plan—has denied any wrongdoing. He stated there is “nothing illegal” about the payments and is currently awaiting a final decision based on a “fair and impartial evaluation” of the evidence.
The controversy continues to develop as the health inspection claims the director of surgery at Santo António received money that was not due to him.
