While the public health system registers a rise in care for people with Covid-19 and the flu, it also faces the embezzlement caused by the two diseases in the workforce. Survey of CNN shows that at least 16,000 public health workers were removed in seven state networks, 13 municipal networks and in the Federal District network, between December 2021 and this month of January, due to the coronavirus and influenza.
The number is even higher, as the state health departments of Rio de Janeiro and Ceará only released the percentages of absence, 20% and 10% to 15%, respectively.
A survey by the National Confederation of Municipalities still points out that the growth of servers with Covid-19 is felt by 60% of prefectures. The survey was carried out between January 10 and 13, with responses from 1,800 cities.
The problem affects the ability to test, diagnose and treat those infected by the coronavirus, according to the CNM survey, as well as prenatal care for pregnant women and with diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
To cope with the increase in demand amid the shortage of employees, public managers rearrange scales, hire temporary workers and even suspend appointments.
Southeast
Rio de Janeiro is the most affected by the casualties. In the state health network, elective surgeries are suspended from this Monday (17), for 30 days, due to the impact of the removal of about 20% of health professionals. The stoppage of procedures was also motivated by the reduction in blood donations and to avoid contamination by Covid-19 of patients and servers.
Among the capitals, Rio also leads the ranking of embezzlement, with 5,500 infected in the municipal network by the coronavirus and influenza, since December. Part of these professionals have already returned to work after the period of isolation and the health units continue to function without changes, according to the prefecture.
In São Paulo, respiratory syndromes caused the removal of 1% of the state network (1,763 people) and 3% of the municipal network (3,193, of which 1,403 with Covid-19 and 1,683 with flu syndrome).
To absorb the growing demand amid the absences, the Government of SP slowed down the redirection of beds aimed at those infected by the coronavirus to other diseases, reassigned teams, authorized extra shifts and reinforced outsourced teams.
The city hall hired 280 new servers and also authorized the call of doctors and nurses by social organizations.
Increasing hiring, with the call of 1,015 professionals, was also the answer found by the City Hall of Belo Horizonte (MG) in view of the high in attendance and the absence of 487 workers due to respiratory diseases in December.
In Vitória (ES), the number of municipal health workers on leave tripled between November and December of last year, from 78 to 242. The demand for care grew by 50%, which led to the expansion of the opening hours of six units of health and the call of 166 new professionals.
On the
In the South, Curitiba (PR) has 47 employees on leave due to respiratory syndromes and Porto Alegre (RS), 348. The capital of Rio Grande do Sul announced that service may be slow due to reduced teams in some units and high demand for consultations .
Midwest
In the Midwest, the municipalities of Campo Grande (MS) and Cuiabá (MT) announced that they total 137 and 320 sick servers, respectively, a problem that is exacerbated by the vacation of other employees. In the capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, teams were relocated.
In the capital of Mato Grosso, the situation is more complicated because the Municipal Health Department is legally prevented from contracting and is negotiating a release with the Public Ministry.
Goiânia (GO) still accounts for the deficit, while the Government of Goiás said that it only records occasional absences, without changes in scales or attendance. In Brasília, after 3,207 sick servers in December, there was a relocation of professionals and appointment of new ones.
North East
The Government of Ceará announced that it had 10% to 15% of the workforce of hospital units in the state network away due to flu syndromes and Covid-19, between December and this month. Part of the workers was removed on suspicion, after contact with family members or patients positive for the coronavirus.
The State Department of Health reported that demand has grown substantially in recent weeks and redesigns scales to avoid losses in care. There was also the opening of 150 temporary job vacancies in units managed by a social organization.
In the capital Fortaleza, according to the Municipal Health Department, respiratory diseases affected 600 workers at health posts and 700 at hospitals.
Maranhão was another state in the Northeast with embezzlement reported to the CNN. In the state network, there were 1,133, 916 of them with Covid-19. Active servers are working overtime to ensure calls.
In the capital São Luís, the number of workers on leave quadrupled between the last week of December and the first 12 days of January, from 200 to 800. The city government works with the relocation of servers and temporary hires in this scenario.
In addition to the relocation, the expansion of the staff is the strategy adopted in Recife, capital of Pernambuco, where 43 servers have Covid-19 and another 30 with influenza. The Government of Alagoas announced that it recorded 177 removals from last month until now.
North
Between the 7th and 13th of that month, the Tocantins State Department of Health added 78 new cases of Covid-19 in workers, but claimed that there was no overload for those who are still in activity. The folder also disclosed that the numbers of infected with the coronavirus have risen significantly.
The Municipality of Palmas, capital of the state, reported that “it is not possible to measure the number of people away for such diseases, given that the certificate is not mandatory to inform the disease code, according to Resolution No. 1819 of the Federal Council of Medicine. (CFM).”
The deficit affects Manaus (AM), with 48 professionals on leave. The Government of Amazonas, on the other hand, did not disclose casualty data and only reported that the “Intersectoral Committee to Combat Covid-19 analyzes the next measures to streamline procedures with the high demand of the health network.”
In Boa Vista (RR), between January 1st and 12th, 72 were removed, with relocation to cover the scales. The Municipal Secretary of Rio Branco (AC) is still investigating the data.
The rest of the states and capitals did not return to the request for information made by the CNN.
Reference: CNN Brasil
