The Sister Dulce Social Works (OSID) are in danger of closing in Bahia in two months, according to Maria Rita Pontes, the entity’s superintendent and niece of the first Brazilian saint.
Until June, the accumulated deficit in the organization reached R$ 13 million, and the projection is to reach R$ 26 million by the end of the year.
With the new law on the nursing floor, sanctioned by Bolsonaro this month, accounts can be up to R$42 million negative, according to the philanthropic network.
The institution says that it will not be possible to afford the new salary ranges for professionals.
“Before the enactment of the law, the scenario was already distressing, because of the underfunding of the SUS, whose contract has not been readjusted for five years, the arrival of the pandemic, and the advance of inflation in inputs. Now, with the wage floor, which was instituted without any source of funding being made available to face the new expenses, we will have no alternative but to close the service”, says Pontes.
More than 3 million patients are cared for free of charge each year in the five OSID hospitals in Bahia, which bring together 7,500 professionals.
The headquarters in Salvador offers 727 hospital beds.
Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix
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