The National Front of Mayors (FNP) sent letters to the Senate and the Federal Audit Court (TCU) expressing concern about the possibility of non-compliance with the constitutional Health minimum in 2023.
In the assessment of the FNP, which mainly brings together mayors of capitals and large cities, this could compromise access and quality of health services.
Last week, the Ministry of Finance sent a consultation to the TCU to evaluate the possibility of not paying the minimum wage this year.
After the sanction of the new fiscal framework, on August 31, the ceiling that suspended the correction of floors linked to inflation was automatically revoked. As a result, the Health and Education floors were once again linked to the volume of government revenue.
However, in 2023, only Education would be able to finance the minimum amount to be paid with the available budget. Health could generate a R$20 billion hole in government accounts this year, according to the economic team.
In the letters sent to the Senate and the TCU, the mayors emphasize that “neglecting compliance with the constitutional health minimum can seriously compromise the assistance of millions of Brazilians, generating adverse impacts in the long term”.
“The reduction in the transfer of federal resources to Health is absurd. In recent years, those who have paid the biggest SUS bill are the municipalities. In Campinas, 20 years ago, the Union sent almost 70% of resources to Health. This year, the city reached 77% of total expenses”, said the vice-president of the FNP Health area and mayor of Campinas, Dário Saadi (Republicans).
Campinas, for example, invested 25% of its own resources in the second four months of 2023 — the constitutional minimum determines 15% and the municipality’s organic law, 17%.
Among the factors that have influenced the increase in the cost of the SUS are the aging of the population, chronic and complex diseases, the increase in the value of health products (medicines, equipment and inputs), migration of patients from the private sector to the public and emergencies, such as pandemics and epidemics.
