Saúde paid R$2,000 per group that danced funk at an event – 10/11/2023 – Health

The Ministry of Health reported this Wednesday (11) that it paid R$2,000 in fees for the funk performance that was considered “inappropriate” by the department itself. The case caused the dismissal of the director of the Department of Prevention and Health Promotion, Andrey Lemos.

Last week, the ministry became the target of opposition criticism for videos circulating on social media showing a woman dancing to the song “Batcu”.

On Saturday (7), Minister Nísia Trindade stated that she was surprised by the presentation made during an official event and announced that Lemos had resigned.

The dance was part of the 1st Mobilization Meeting for Health Promotion in Brazil. According to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, the event held from October 4th to 6th cost around R$970,000. When contacted, the ministry did not say how much was paid.

“That moment [do evento], I was on an important schedule in the cities of Diadema and Mauá, in São Paulo. (…) At the same time, I began to determine responsibility for what happened. Today, given the seriousness of the incident, the Director of the Department of Prevention and Health Promotion was removed, who assumed full responsibility for what happened”, stated the minister in the video published by Saúde on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, I was surprised by yesterday’s episode and I come, through this video, to apologize very sincerely for what happened and to reiterate the commitment of the Ministry of Health that its events reflect the conduct and guidance of the Ministry of Health and the government led by President Lula [PT]”, said Nísia.

Opponents called the performance “erotic”, and government supporters agreed that the dance was inappropriate.

The event featured performances by seven artistic groups during breaks. The idea was to show that dance and other expressions of art are also a way to promote health.