Lula’s government boosted funds to Daniela Carneiro’s stronghold – 07/19/2023 – Power

While sewing a political agreement for the departure of Daniela Carneiro from the Ministry of Tourism, the Lula government (PT) more than doubled the forecast for transfers from Health to the city of Belford Roxo (RJ), her and her husband Waguinho’s electoral stronghold. .

In the midst of political negotiations to replace her with Celso Sabino (União Brasil-PA), the Executive increased the ceiling for annual transfers from the FNS (National Health Fund) to the municipality by R$ 50.2 million —from R$ 42.8 million to R$ 93 million, an increase of 117%.

At the time, Daniela and her husband were applying to the government for second-level positions in Rio de Janeiro, federal hospitals and amendments in the health area for Belford Roxo, where Waguinho is mayor.

Health increased payments that are directed to high and medium complexity services in hospitals and outpatient clinics. This amount is used to pay for beds and teams for cardiology or oncology care, among other specialized and more expensive services of the SUS.

The ministry announces annually the ceiling of resources that can be transferred to each state and municipality for this type of service. SUS managers can request an increase in funds to increase the federal government’s participation in health financing or finance new places of care.

In a note, Health said that the money will pay for services and equipment of the municipality that still did not receive federal money.

The portfolio commanded by Nísia Trindade authorized in June the increase in transfers to Daniela’s electoral stronghold. The city had asked the federal government for the funding on May 9, and the election received support from the collegiate that brings together managers from the state and municipalities of Rio de Janeiro.

The appeal is not an amendment, as it uses the Ministry of Health’s own budget. In addition to transfers to high and medium complexity, the federal government distributes funds for other activities, such as basic care, which takes place, for example, in health centers.

The ministry said that the increase in funds for Belford Roxo “aims to cover the deficit in the production of outpatient and hospital services and the cost of new equipment inserted in the SUS by the municipality, without the contribution of funds from a federal source for its operation “.

The folder also stated that the municipality has 226 active health establishments, 126 of which are under municipal management.

Waguinho has links with militiamen and is one of Lula’s main allies in the Baixada Fluminense, where Jair Bolsonaro (PL) tends to have more political power.

During the elections, Waguinho served as a platform for the PT candidate. His performance was evaluated, at the time, as important to prevent Bolsonaro from further expanding his advantage over his opponent in the state – the difference between them, in the second round of 2022, was 56% against 43%.

Daniela was eventually appointed to the Ministry of Tourism, but her name was contested by her party, União Brasil.

The Planalto Palace claimed that the minister was nominated as a member of the União Brasil, but a part of the party’s bench in the Chamber did not consider her as the party’s choice, but as Lula’s.

The situation worsened in early April, when the minister asked the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) to withdraw from União Brasil. He intends to leave the acronym and migrate to the Republicans.

While the government was skating to build a solid base in Congress and suffered defeats for the centrão, of which the Union is a part, the acronym began to ask for a replacement in charge of the folder and to plead the name of Celso Sabino in exchange for support in voting. important.

Lula then started to meet with Waguinho and Daniela to negotiate an honorable exit for the minister.

The soap opera of the change in Tourism lasted more than a month and even threatened the vote on the Tax Reform in the Chamber, when Daniela was expected to leave, but the government chose to keep it temporarily while negotiating the conditions for the changes.

On June 22nd, in the midst of the political seams between the government, Daniela and the Union, the Ministry of Health published an ordinance that increased the ceiling for transfers to Belford Roxo by R$ 50.2 million, in response to a request made by the municipality in early May and more than doubling the initial forecast.

That same ordinance was republished on July 10, three days before Lula announced the exchange of Daniela for Sabino and four days before the act was made official in the Official Gazette.

The new version, reissued because it came out “with inaccuracies in the original”, according to the text, brought information that the government transferred R$ 25.1 million to the municipality, referring to the first six months of the year.

In recent years, at least, the budget for the city has always been around R$ 40 million.

This was the second change in Lula’s ministerial team. The first occurred in April, with the resignation of General Gonçalves Dias, who occupied the GSI (Institutional Security Office). The military’s situation in office became unsustainable after videos called into question the performance of the then minister on January 8 of this year, when there were attacks on the headquarters of the three Powers.