The Ministry of Health paid the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), at the end of 2022, almost eight times more than the values charged by the private sector for Covid-19 tests. The detail is that Fiocruz was chaired, at the time, by the current Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade. The information was released by columnist Rodrigo Rangel, from the Metrópoles website.
According to the journalist, the Ministry of Health had a tender underway to acquire the tests; however, this was suspended shortly before the acquisition with Fiocruz. At the time, at least 3 million tests were purchased at a unit price of R$19.40. However, in the bidding process, in which 35 companies participated, some offers reached R$2.49 per test.
Based on these data, it is possible to conclude that the value agreed by the department with Fiocruz was 679% higher than the lowest price offered by the competition. The purchase, which took place in December 2022, was made through a technical cooperation agreement.
The acquisition of the tests became the target of the Federal Audit Court (TCU), where auditors certified the overpricing and detected irregularities both in the decision that suspended the bidding and in the direct contracting with Fiocruz. Last year, the Court ordered the suspension of the agreement with the foundation.
When contacted by Rodrigo Rangel’s column, the Ministry of Health limited itself to responding that the bidding process that was underway at the time was suspended, because participating companies were disqualified. There was no response, however, regarding the amount of R$19.40 agreed with Fiocruz.
Also according to the ministry, a new notice for purchasing new rapid Covid-19 tests should be launched soon, with delivery expected in the first quarter of this year. Fiocruz, in turn, said that the sale of the tests took place in a context that goes beyond the simple sale of products and included, for example, actions to develop national production.
– As an institution linked to the Ministry of Health, the supply of inputs and provision of health services to the SUS occurs in a context of supporting the scientific, technological and industrial base of the Ministry of Health, a model that has allowed important platforms and products, with the objective of expanding access for the population – said the institution.
Fiocruz did not respond to the role of its then president, Nísia Trindade, in the agreement reached with the ministry. According to the TCU, the purchase resulted in a loss of R$400 million to the federal government’s coffers.
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