MPs demand changes to elective surgeries at SUS – News

09/14/2021 – 20:34

Deputies of the Chamber’s Social Security and Family Committee, Tuesday (14), demanded changes to the model for managing elective surgeries by the Unified Health System (SUS). The matter was discussed in a public hearing.

According to the data of the Ministry of Health, there was a 45% decrease in the number of non-urgent surgeries performed in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, due to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The representative of the National Board of Health Trustees, Eliana Ribeiro, who attended the meeting, explained that a survey conducted by the organization shows that the country has a shortfall of 1.5 million elective surgeries. Eliana Ribeiro also said that even with the Ministry of Health releasing 350 million R$ for these surgeries, only 15 states are using these resources and as of July this year they had spent only R$14.5 million. According to her, in addition to resources, there is also a lack of structure within hospitals that are still burdened by the epidemic.

old problem
vice Emidinho Madeira (PSB-MG) He pointed out that the problem of elective surgeries is an old problem and has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. For him, the commitment of parliamentarians to allocate resources to the care of these patients is essential.

“People who have been waiting for a prosthesis in the SUS queue for ten years — had surgery until 2008 in the waiting list — are people who, in their time, worked helping to build the nation as a builder, butler, and maid, were working and that’s why he gained an erosion in Orthopedic and today he needs a prosthesis and is not wearing it,” he said.

for the deputy Carmen Zanotto (Citizenship-SC)However, it is necessary to rethink the SUS model of care for elective surgeries and ensure resources as well as correcting inflation, as is currently the case.

spending cap
The Secretary of Specialized Care at the Ministry of Health, Sergio Ocan, acknowledges that having a strategy for elective surgeries, for two decades, shows that the model needs to be revised, which has been discussed for four years, but that stopped this requires more resources.

“What concerns us is the legislation, because we will change the reward model, but our spending cap remains the same. So, we should have these two discussions: a change in the model and how we will be able to improve the health budget,” he said.

The representative of the Ministry of Health of Minas Gerais, Fábio Baccheretti, defended the retention of part of the Covid beds, to make room for a large number of patients who have been waiting for their surgeries for several years.

However, Sergio Ocan noted that the resources needed to maintain the Covid family come from the emergency budget and that the ministry does not have the resources to maintain this family with its regular budget, unless the spending cap legislation is changed in the National Congress.

Report – Carla Alessandra
Edition – Anna Shalob