Without state funding, SUS Maternity will close its doors in União and abandon 11 municipalities

A signal to the network of mothers and babies in 11 municipalities in Alagoas, Hospital São Vicente de Paulo, in União dos Palmares, has announced that it will close maternity care on April 1, due to a lack of financial support from the state government. The trend was justified by the fact that the unit has no revenue and that it lives with a negative balance for 10 months, and has accumulated debts in excess of R$3 million.

The closure would imply a lack of assistance for residents of the municipalities of Branquinha, Colonia Leopoldina, Campestre, Ipatiguara, Joaquim Gomez, Gondia, Mauritius, Novo Leno, Santana do Munda and São José da Laje, given that the institution is a reference for Materno and Childish.

The situation is so serious that the revenues needed to maintain the maternity sector in SUS do not support the expenses. And this happened, according to the managers, due to the daily increase in supplies and medicines.

The hospital reported that it receives R$176,000 in production from SUS, R$148,000 from federal incentives, and R$118,600 from state incentives, bringing the total revenue to R$443,000. The problem is that the expenses amount to 228 thousand Brazilian riyals only, including the salaries of doctors; R$292,000 with payroll for other employees, service providers, labor allowances, fees, etc.; And 228.8 thousand Brazilian reals with medicines, exams, oxygen, medical gases, energy, food and work agreements. Total monthly expenses were R$743,000, leaving a negative balance of R$300,000.

The unit’s accountant, Gilberto Jr., rated the scenario as very difficult financially. He points out that there is no way to keep the maternity hospital open, 24 hours a day, with the current structure, without subsidizing the expenses. There was, according to his account, a promise from the state government to contribute to the hospital, but this did not happen.