An action by the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul (MPRS) ensured the approval of a structural agreement to expand the public health network in Canoas. The negotiation was led by Public Prosecutor Márcio Emílio Lemes Bressani, from the Canoas Prosecutor's Office, and the decision was validated in the Judiciary on Wednesday, September 2nd.
The initiative originated from alerts received by the MPRS from the Regional Council of Medicine (CREMERS) and technical inspections that confirmed serious deficiencies in local care. The situation worsened after the closure of the Canoas Emergency Hospital (HPSC), severely affected by the 2024 floods, which ultimately overburdened the structure of the Nossa Senhora das Graças Hospital.
"The collective participation to face the lack of health care in the municipality was decisive. Mediar-MPRS played a fundamental role in the conciliatory approach with the State and the Municipality, allowing for the improvement of care in the three hospitals in the city. We will continue working with the certainty of the reopening of the HPSC, the increase in beds at the University Hospital and the continuous improvement in the emergency and urgent care of Nossa Senhora das Graças," highlighted Prosecutor Márcio Bressani.
The approved plan stipulates the complete recovery of the Canoas Emergency Hospital in two stages. The first floor is scheduled for completion in March 2027, the second floor in September of the same year and the final delivery of the entire unit in the second half of 2027.
The agreement also ensures the expansion of the University Hospital's capacity with the creation of 100 new beds in the areas of cardiology, pediatrics, traumatology, and general surgery. The expansion will be funded directly by a federal contribution of R$ 58 million annually.
For the Hospital Nossa Senhora das Graças, the agreement stipulates a 90-day period for the State and Municipality to present a technical solution for emergency care. The completion of each stage will be monitored by the MPRS and CREMERS, which will also continue to receive the municipality's monthly medical schedules.