Brazil: Vice-president elect Alckmin defends partnership with private initiative to zero queues in Unified Health System

The Brazilian vice-president-elect and coordinator of the transitional cabinet, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), met on Sunday (4) with members of the health working group, made up of doctors and industry specialists.

The meeting took place at Hospital Sírio Libanês, in São Paulo (SP), where president-elect Lula da Silva (PT) was earlier to undergo tests.

After the meeting, Alckmin gave a press conference, where he defended a joint effort with the participation of the private sector to eliminate queues in the Unified Health System (SUS) in the country.

“There is a commitment by President Lula da Silva to eliminate the queue that formed during the pandemic. During the pandemic, Covid was correctly prioritized. So, you ended up having queues. The idea is to do a joint effort, even if you need to hire the private sector, in order to clear the queue of specialties, exams and surgeries (in the SUS)”, said the vice-president-elect.

Alckmin also said that the new government should again prioritize vaccination against Covid-19 to reverse the recent drop in vaccination coverage and that it intends to launch a broad campaign to raise awareness of the importance of vaccines against the disease.

“The most immediate attitude that the new government must take in the first few days is immunization, it is the vaccine. A big national campaign” he stated.

According to Alckmin, only 12% of children aged six months to three years old are vaccinated against Covid. “The vaccine saves lives. We are going to do a big campaign, a work of several ministries, together with civil society, artists and leaders, for the importance of the vaccine”, he said.

Doctors and specialists Miguel Srougi, Carlos Roberto Ribeiro de Carvalho, Fábio Biscegli Jatene, Claudio Lottenberg, José Medina Pestana, Drauzio Varella, Linamara Rizzo Battistella and Milton Arruda also participated in the meeting.

With information from Gazeta do Povo