Brazilian Health Ministry Decided to Use Unspent R$17 billion ($3.4 billion) Which was Not utilized During COVID-19 Period
Approximately R$17 billion earmarked but not utilized during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, spanning from 2020 to 2022, are now eligible for allocation into alternative healthcare initiatives within Brazilian regions and cities.
It is estimated by the ministry that around R$17 billion remained unspent and are potentially reallocatable by the culmination of this year, fostering financial backing and development initiatives in health care nationwide.
Throughout 2023, notable progress was made by the Ministry of Health in the restoration of the SUS, with a heightened focus on pivotal programs and the expansion of primary, as well as intermediate to high-level, healthcare services. There was an injection of R$7.1 billion into specialized healthcare across 23 states, totalling R$61.6 billion, alongside assured increments in financial backing and the escalation of outpatient and inpatient procedures. In the cornerstone of SUS, primary healthcare, over R$870 million was disbursed to regions and cities to facilitate multidisciplinary teams, supplementing the expansion of Family Health Teams achieved in the previous year: 4,362 new teams were established, culminating in a total of 52 thousand teams.
The concerted effort against dengue, initiated in 2023 as a nationwide endeavour coordinated by the Health Ministry, has received additional funding.
Recently, the ministry unveiled an augmentation in resources allocated for endeavours against Aedes aegypti, reaching R$1.5 billion, along with streamlining the disbursement of funds to regions and cities declaring health emergencies, be it due to dengue, other arboviruses, or public health crises.
In regions struck by emergencies in 2023, 14 relief efforts were executed, encompassing 28.6 thousand services dispensed by 508 volunteer healthcare practitioners. Furthermore, 9,600 professionals underwent training via hands-on sessions, remote learning modules, web seminars, and conferences. The Ministry of Health directed R$3.9 million towards these initiatives.
Additionally, 94 medical kits and essential provisions were dispatched to regions and cities affected by natural calamities, attributed to heavy rainfall and severe drought. Altogether, the dispatched kits have the capacity to serve 141 thousand individuals. In 2024, 5 kits were dispatched to Rio de Janeiro as immediate assistance following torrential rains throughout the state.