The Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, informed interlocutors this Monday afternoon (18) that she will dismiss the Secretary of Specialized Health Care, Helvécio Magalhães. The expectation is that the dismissal will be published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) on Tuesday (19).
Nilton Pereira, current director of the Department of Hospital, Home and Emergency Care, is being considered to replace Helvécio.
The change should occur after the Fantástico program showed, last Sunday (17), the precarious condition of federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, highlighting damaged equipment, expired materials and issues in the electrical infrastructure. Since January 2023, Helvécio has commanded one of the departments with the largest budget in the department, as he is responsible for managing transfers to the Unified Health System (SUS) and federal hospitals.
The TV Globo report also showed Grasielle Oliveira Esposito, CEO of Potenza, a business advisory and consultancy company, visiting the Bonsucesso Federal Hospital. She introduced herself on behalf of Helvécio, despite not having any formal connection with the Ministry of Health. This was even confirmed by Nísia Trindade.
Helvécio was constantly honored in PT governments, and is one of the most important political chiefs of the PT in Minas Gerais. He was National Secretary for Basic Health Care from 2011 to 2014, during the Dilma Rousseff (PT) government. At the time, the miner reported to ministers Alexandre Padilha (PT) and Arthur Chioro (PT).
Helvécio also worked at the René Rachou Institute, a Fiocruz unit in Minas Gerais, after leaving the government of Fernando Pimentel (PT), where he held the position of Secretary of State for Planning and Management. It was also in the Minas government that he previously worked with Grasielle Oliveira Esposito. At the time, she appointed her as intendant of the Administrative City, seat of the state government.