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"When I received the list, I was floored. I felt a target on my head."
The phrase comes from an anesthesiologist heard by BBC News Brasil after being included in a list of "leftist" professionals published in a private group of doctors after the re-election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The list brought together the names of 15 doctors under the title "Lulistas = leftists = PT" and was sent in a WhatsApp group that brings together around a third of all doctors in the state's specialty. Next to some names, flags of the LGBTQIA+ movement were placed.
The case exposes how the political division experienced during — and after — the election also reached hospitals, offices and medical cooperatives.
Health professionals report episodes to the report that range from that of the anesthesiologist, to exposing colleagues for their electoral preferences, to messages that suggest different treatment for patients due to political positions.
The doctor from Sergipe, who asked not to be identified, says that he was informed of the inclusion of his name on the list while he was preparing to participate in the celebrations for the victory of the candidate he supported.
Credit, Reproduction/BBC
He says he immediately sought out the colleague named by other members of the group as the author of the publication to question the origin and objective of the list. According to his report, the conversation was marked by shouting, insults and swearing.
"The objective of the list is precisely what I seek to understand. According to my colleague, it would be an informal poll. But what is the objective of identifying who votes or doesn't vote for the left? The colleague is not interested in my political-partisan position", he stated.
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"The biggest repercussion is internal. I was exposed and I see colleagues trying to minimize the severity", reports the doctor, who says he made posts in support of Lula on his private social networks and participated in two walks for the candidate's election.
"But I didn't post anything in groups, I didn't take a stand in a work environment. I even avoided talking about politics in these environments. I only posted on my Instagram", he reports.
The anesthesiologist says he took his case to a State institutional group used to organize shifts and shifts, where he asked for clarification about the authorship and purpose of the list. According to him, the publication would have been deleted soon after.
According to the report, new calls followed and included homophobic insults. Fearing for his own safety, the anesthesiologist contacted the Department of Assistance to Vulnerable Groups (DAGV) of the Civil Police and requested a protective measure.
This week, he also formalized a complaint with the cooperative responsible for the shift schedule. The entity would have complied with the request that the two professionals not be scheduled together while the case is being investigated.
"The president of the cooperative came to talk to me personally, gave me a hug and said that everything would be investigated," he said.
The doctor states that, to date, he is still evaluating with his lawyer the possibility of reporting the case to the Regional Council of Medicine (CRM).
BBC News Brasil contacted the cooperative responsible for organizing anesthesiology shifts and shifts and the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Sergipe (Cremese) in search of an official position, but received no response. The report was unable to contact the doctor named as the author of the list.
'Don't help PT members with medicine or money'
If in the case of the anesthesiologist the complaint involves the exposure and intimidation of colleagues, other recorded episodes include messages that defend or suggest boycotts of patients identified as supporters of President Lula and the PT.
The report received a complaint about a cardiologist who works in Bahia and had shared, on her Instagram profile, a post stating that PT voters should suffer the consequences of their political choices.
The screenshots sent to BBC News Brasil are from a message originally posted on the profile of a former candidate for councilor and 1st Substitute of PL, the party of senator and defeated candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, and shared by the doctor on Instagram Stories.
The post said, among other things: "Do not help PT members in the regulatory queue", "Do not help PT members when applying for a job" and "Do not help PT members with medicine or money".
"Every choice has consequences…", the cardiologist reportedly wrote when reposting the publication on her profile, which she used for professional content.
Although the text does not explicitly mention medical practice, colleagues who follow the cardiologist and saw the publication pointed out that the reference to regulation and access to medicines could be interpreted as encouraging discrimination based on political convictions.
Faced with the fear, a group of doctors made a formal complaint to the Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Bahia (CREMEB) and informed authorities from the State Health Department.
BBC News Brasil contacted the agencies seeking clarification on the progress of the complaints, but did not receive a response from CREMEB.
The Health Department of the State of Bahia said that so far "no complaints have been formalized" related to professionals who work in its care network.
The cardiologist's profile on Instagram is no longer active, but through a note published on the profile of the clinic where she works in Lauro de Freitas, the cardiologist acknowledged that the sharing "was a mistake" and regretted "the concern, insecurity and discomfort it may have caused".
"I want to state clearly: I do not advocate that anyone be deprived of medical care, medication or health care because of their political position," he said.
"I respect freedom of thought and reaffirm my commitment to the ethical principles of medicine, humanized care and assistance without any discrimination."
The clinic specializing in cardiology stated that it had no “political side”. "Our side is that of life, health and human beings," he said in a statement.
"Opinions expressed in personal profiles do not necessarily represent the institutional positioning of our clinic, nor do they interfere with our service principles. Here, no one is defined by their vote, their religion, their social status or their personal choices."
After the publication of this report, BBC News Brasil received by email the position of the author of the original publication, linked to the PL. She stated that she did not know the cardiologist and said she had "no control over who shares my publications or with what intentions."
The author of the post said that her comment about the regulation queue referred to possible favors that could be carried out at the doctors' own will, and not to public services.
"When mentioning the regulation queue, my intention was not to refer to inclusion or regular service in this service, but to particular requests for favors outside legal procedures. I recognize that the wording did not make this distinction explicit", wrote the PL substitute.
What to do if a doctor denies care or engages in political harassment?
In cases of unjustified denial of assistance, discrimination or political harassment, the guideline is to gather evidence, such as messages, audios, videos, prescriptions or medical records, and formalize a complaint to the Regional Medicine Councils (CRMs), responsible for investigating possible ethical infractions.
Depending on the situation, the case can also be taken to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Public Defender's Office or the common court, especially when there is harm to the patient or risk to their health.
According to the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), responsible for monitoring and regulating the practice of medicine in Brazil, the Code of Medical Ethics establishes that, in cases of urgency and emergency, care is mandatory.
CFM Resolution 2,217/2018 also highlights that medicine is a "profession at the service of the health of human beings and the community" and, therefore, must be "exercised without discrimination of any kind".
Another council resolution, which regulates medical advertising, also establishes rules for the dissemination of services and information on digital platforms. Although it expands professionals' communication possibilities, the standard does not eliminate the obligations set out in the Code of Medical Ethics.
Also among colleagues, medical entities argue that political differences cannot result in embarrassment, persecution or professional harm.
"Reports about possible professional ethical violations by doctors must be made to the Regional Council of Medicine (CRM) of the state where the incident occurred so that an investigation can be carried out. As it is an appeal body, the CFM does not comment on specific cases under penalty of procedural nullity", stated the CFM in a note sent to the report.
Law No. 3,268/1957, which provides for Medical Councils, provides that state bodies may apply disciplinary penalties that include warning, censure, suspension and revocation of professional practice, in the event of infractions. Penalties vary depending on the severity of the infraction and due legal process.
'Doctors are announcing to boycott people's lives'
In Espírito Santo, the Regional Council of State Medicine (CRM-ES) opened an investigation to investigate the facts related to a doctor who allegedly shared a post in which she stated, ironically, that she would change patients' medication prescriptions and would not accept justifications linked to the lack of financial resources to buy the recommended medicines in light of the election results.
The case was reported, also on social media, by Ana Elisa (PT-MG), 21 years old, who debuted in politics as the most voted federal deputy in Minas Gerais, with 524 thousand votes.
"It started with a commercial boycott list and now some doctors are already announcing that they are boycotting people's lives. Because when you announce on your Instagram that you are going to change people's medicines, it is nothing more than a boycott of that person's existence," said the congresswoman-elect in a video.
Credit, Reproduction/Instagram
In a note sent to the report, CRM-ES stated that all complaints made to the body "are rigorously investigated".
"The investigation aims to investigate the facts and may result in the opening of a Professional Ethical Process, if there are sufficient elements of evidence of materiality and authorship of a violation of the Code of Medical Ethics", he stated about the case registered in the State, adding that all procedural procedures are carried out in secret.
Other episodes
The episodes add to other cases that have gained national repercussion in recent days.
In São Paulo, a doctor at Einstein Hospital Israelita published a series of attacks against supporters of President Lula on social media.
"I don't serve bum PT members", the cardiologist reportedly wrote in a sequence of stories posted on Instagram and published by the Brazilian press. In the same post, he says he has "resources" for rejections.
When contacted by BBC News Brasil, Einstein said that he repudiates any discriminatory expression and that the case is already being handled in accordance with the hospital's code of ethics. The report was unable to contact the author of the posts.
Another case occurred in Goiânia, where a gynecologist and obstetrician was removed and later fired from the Hospital Municipal da Mulher e Maternidade Célia Câmara following messages posted in a WhatsApp group of professionals from the unit.
According to screenshots released by TV Anhanguera, the doctor had asked colleagues to avoid granting hospital discharge during the weekend of the first round of the election because "the majority are PT members".
“Anyone who is in the ward on Saturday and Sunday, do not discharge anyone, the majority are PT members,” wrote the doctor, as shown in prints shown on TV Anhanguera.
The episode was reported and an investigation was opened by the hospital.
The case was also forwarded to the Regional Council of Medicine of Goiás (Cremego) which, in a note sent to BBC News Brasil, said that all complaints related to the ethical conduct of doctors, received by Cremego or of which it becomes aware, are investigated and processed in complete secrecy, as determined by the Medical Professional-Ethical Process Code. "Cremego also requests clarification from the doctor technically responsible for the institution mentioned in the complaints," said the agency.
The report was unable to contact the gynecologist reported. But in a note sent to G1, the doctor stated that the message sent in a private group of professionals did not turn into inappropriate conduct and that no patient was discharged delayed or denied due to political preference.
According to the doctor, all patients were evaluated and discharged exclusively according to clinical criteria. She also stated that since 2017, she has delivered thousands of births to women with different backgrounds and beliefs.
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