President of the RJ Medical Council is removed on suspicion of sexual harassment

The president of Cremerj (Regional Council of Medicine of the State of Rio de Janeiro), Clovis Bersot Munhoz, was removed from office on Thursday night (21), after being indicted by the Civil Police on suspicion of sexual harassment.

The corporation’s investigation is based on a complaint that is also part of a labor lawsuit filed by the doctor’s alleged victim against a hospital in the city of Rio de Janeiro where the two worked. The case was revealed by the newspaper O Globo.

Cremerj is the professional body responsible for analyzing the behavior of anesthesiologist Giovanni Quintella Bezerra, filmed putting his penis in the mouth of a pregnant woman who had been sedated for delivery in São João de Meriti, in the Baixada Fluminense.

“Appreciating the honesty and commitment to transparency, Cremerj informs that the counselor Clovis Bersot Munhoz, who currently holds the position of chairman of the Board, decided, together with the board, to step aside”, says the board.

“This is because an investigation will be opened on your behalf to investigate the complaint about sexual harassment published in the press”, the text continues.

Munhoz is an orthopedist and traumatologist. The alleged victim is 26 years old and is a nursing technician. The woman reported being harassed by the doctor inside the operating room in June 2021. According to the complaint, he would have said that she was “very hot”.

Then, the doctor would have asked if the nursing technician was married. Hearing that yes, Munhoz, according to the woman’s statements, would have said that if she wanted to cheat on her husband, she could call him.

The Civil Police of Rio de Janeiro reported that the investigation, conducted by the 9th Police Station of Catete, was forwarded to the Public Ministry, which requested new steps from the corporation.

Cremerj claims to have become aware of the labor process and the complaint in August of last year, when Munhoz was not yet president of the entity. At the time, the doctor was a counselor at Cremerj.

“It is essential to point out that there were other people in the room [cirúrgica onde teria ocorrido o diálogo]who followed the whole thing and who claim that Munhoz did not practice harassment against any person”, said the council, in a note issued before the removal.

Cremerj also says that he was aware of a procedure at the 9th Police Station of Catete in detriment of the then councilor of the entity.

“At the time, an administrative procedure was initiated in the council and clarification was requested (sic) regarding the case. He provided all the information, stressing that he had not said any of the words mentioned there. He also informed that, on that day, he had had other surgeries and that other people were present in the room, such as doctors, nurses and scrub nurses.”

According to the council, after an internal investigation, nothing was found against the counselor, which is why he took over as president of the entity in February 2022. Cremerj also says that Munhoz has taken a strong stance against cases of sexual harassment.

“As happened recently with the Giovanni Quintella Bezerra case, which was provisionally suspended from professional practice in less than three days after the council had access to the absurd images received”, says the entity.

The report tried to contact the president of Cremerj, but, via the entity, was informed that the doctor was not on site. The press office said it did not have the name of Munhoz’s lawyer.

THE Sheet also contacted the clinic where Munhoz works. The information given was that calls were not being passed to the doctor, and that it was necessary to leave a name and telephone number for later contact.