Following a request from the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul (MPRS) in a public civil action, the judiciary has ordered immediate and complete intervention in Hospital Nossa Senhora dos Navegantes in Torres, on the northern coast of Rio Grande do Sul. The management of the health unit is to be taken over by the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The emergency injunction was granted on Tuesday, September 15th.
The MPRS filed a public civil action following administrative procedures, health inspections, and audits conducted by the State Sanitary Surveillance and the Regional Medical Council of Rio Grande do Sul (CREMERS).
According to Prosecutor of Justice Márcio Roberto Silva de Carvalho, the MPRS investigation into healthcare service provision at the site revealed a history of hospital service precariousness. Issues such as non-payment to medical professionals, supply and medicine providers, water and electricity utilities, as well as serious sanitary and operational irregularities were identified.
In granting the MPRS request, the judiciary ordered the state to take over the hospital's full management within a maximum of 15 days, removing the Brazilian Institute of Health, Education, Research and Extension for Human Development (IBSaúde) from the unit's administration after the intervention begins.
The decision also prohibits further public resource transfers to IBSaúde related to the hospital's management and requires the maintenance of the current assistance services and professionals linked to the hospital to ensure continuity of care for the population.
The judiciary has also ordered the state to present, within 30 days of the intervention's start, a complete technical diagnosis of the hospital's financial, patrimonial, structural, and assistance conditions. Points to be analyzed include the institution's debts, medical schedules, facilities conditions, current contracts, and the application of funds intended for pediatric care.
According to the decision, the measure, which is provisional, aims to ensure the continuity of the public health service and allows for a detailed evaluation of the financial, patrimonial, structural, and assistance conditions to support future decisions regarding the hospital's management.
Our Lady of Navigators Hospital is the only one in the municipality of Torres and a regional reference for medium and high-complexity care.