A survey carried out by CNSaúde (health sector entity) points out that if all the bills that are being processed in Congress to establish salary floors for health workers advance, R$ 36 billion in costs will be added to the sector annually.
The data cover 53 bills running in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, all proposing the establishment of a minimum wage for seven categories.
According to the texts, dentists, pharmacists and nutritionists would receive R$ 4,750. Psychologists would have a minimum wage of BRL 3,600, physiotherapists and occupational therapists would receive at least BRL 4,800, while social workers would have a new minimum wage of BRL 3,720 and doctors and dentists would receive BRL 10,513 per month.
The general calculation of R$ 36 billion already includes the nursing floor, sanctioned at the beginning of the month.
According to CNSaúde, the budgetary impact is seen as impractical and unsustainable. The main problem is the lack of indication of costing for the new floors, as happened in the law that favored nurses.
The CNSaúde survey also shows that the greatest impact will occur if the floor for doctors and dentists is approved, adding around R$ 13 billion per year. In the other categories, hospitals would have to pay increases that, individually, would not exceed R$ 2 billion per year.
Joana Cunha with Paulo Ricardo Martins and Diego Felix
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
