Favorite to take over the Ministry of Health in the new government, sociologist Nísia Trindade Lima, 64, will be the first woman to hold the position in almost 70 years of the ministry’s history if her appointment is actually confirmed. She would take over at a time when SUS is facing a historic dismantling, with loss of resources, drop in vaccine coverage and lack of coordination with states and municipalities.
The name of the sociologist is unanimously accepted in the field of health and is also the favorite of elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), but the portfolio is the target of a political dispute. As disclosed by UOL, the mayor, Artur Lira (PP-AL) would have conditioned the approval of the Transition PEC to the right to indicate the command of the Ministry of Health.
THE Sheet found that Lula would be irreducible in the decision to nominate Nísia.
Faced with the impasse, this Wednesday (14), the Front for Life, made up of civil society entities, released a note reinforcing the precarious state of the Health portfolio and the need for it to be presided over by a person knowledgeable about the SUS , without conflicts of interest, “capable of avoiding any political bargain with positions in the Ministry of Health”.
Graduated in social sciences, master in political science, doctor in sociology, Nísia assumed the presidency of Fiocruz (Oswaldo Cruz Foundation) in 2017, currently serving her second term. She has been an employee of the foundation since 1987.
Elected with 60% of the votes of Fiocruz workers, researchers and professors, she was the first woman to preside over the centennial institution, a reference in science, public health and health technology in Latin America.
At the time, it was passed over by the government of Michel Temer (MDB), which opted for the second place, researcher Tania Araújo-Jorge, with 40% of the intentions. After pressure and revolt from the scientific community, health professionals and social movements, the then Minister of Health, Ricardo Barros, backtracked and swore in the sociologist.
In November 2020, Nísia was re-elected to the position, after a dispute in which Bolsonarist groups campaigned for Florio Polonini Junior, who is an accountant and linked to the foundation’s administrative area, not research.
However, as Polonini Junior had low votes and was left out of the triple list sent to the federal government, Nísia was reappointed to the position. She is a top-level productivity researcher at CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) and author of articles and books on the divides between urban and rural Brazil.
Under his administration, Fiocruz entered into international partnerships for the manufacture of medicines and vaccines during the pandemic—the most important was with Oxford/AstraZeneca for the national production of the immunizer against Covid, which involved technology transfer.
But his management faced questions about the delay in delivering vaccines. In 2021, the Federal Public Ministry investigated an alleged lack of transparency in information about the production of immunizers and the amount of raw material to manufacture them.
In response, Fiocruz attributed the problems to delays in receiving batches of API (Active Pharmaceutical Input), raw material for vaccine production. He also cited difficulties in obtaining a mandatory export license from China to send the material to Brazil, and the fact that the API had been requested, on an urgent basis, “by numerous countries in the world, which could lead to delays in its receipt”.
The sociologist also took a firm stand in favor of health and science and took a stand against denialist measures by President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
At the same time, Nísia stood out for her dialogue skills, which allowed her to continue in her position.
“It couldn’t have a better name. She proved to be an excellent manager at Fiocruz in these very tough years, with so much denialism, reduction of social rights and disdain for science by the federal government”, says Fiocruz researcher Ligia Giovanella.
Professor at Uerj (State University of Rio de Janeiro), Ligia Bahia says that Nísia, in addition to being an intellectual with many publications in the field of social sciences, turned out to be a great administrator.
“During the pandemic, she had to deal with four health ministers and the political forces of the Bolsonaro government. She is a person who has more than tested her capacity for dialogue, even in very adverse situations.”
And there will be no few adverse situations ahead. The transition team has stated that the scenario is one of health chaos. The team wants an increase of R$ 22.7 billion in next year’s budget. The value would serve to invest in medicines, vaccines and ensure the functioning of the SUS.
Bolsonaro sent the budget proposal for 2023 with a forecast cut of 42% in the discretionary funds of the Ministry of Health, used in the purchase of materials, equipment and for investments.
In the private health market, Nísia’s ability to dialogue is also cited as a positive point, according to Antonio Brito, executive president of Anahp (National Association of Private Hospitals), which brings together the top private hospitals in the country.
“There is a widespread assessment that Dr. Nísia is a prepared person and very fond of dialogue. These are exactly the two things that the ministry will need: technical management that is very competent in dialoguing with all segments.”
For Nelson Mussolini, executive president of Sindusfarma (Union of the Pharmaceutical Products Industry), the nomination would be interesting for the pharmaceutical market. 🇧🇷[Durante a pandemia] She understood that it is much better to have technology transfer processes than simply issuing compulsory licensing decrees.”
The debate on breaking patents arose from the difficulty in increasing the supply of medicines and immunizations necessary for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19.
In April 2021, during a meeting of the Covid-19 committee in the Senate, Nísia defended a revision of the intellectual property law and the use of compulsory licensing mechanisms for medicines in areas where there are monopolies and impaired access.
On the condition of anonymity, other actors in the private health market report a fear that Nísia, once a minister, will end up giving in to the “most radical wing of the SUS”, prioritizing guidelines from state laboratories to the detriment of private ones, for example.
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