Brazilian government allocates BRL 962 million to fund unified health services

The Ministry of Health of Brazil will fund BRL 962.3 million (USD 298 million) for the operation of 1,966 services in the public health network. Among the contemplated services are 53 for the care of cancer patients, 71 for the care of pregnant women and infants, 421 for emergency and emergency care, 94 for intensive care units and 39 for the care of people with disabilities. The Health Minister, Ricardo Barros, has stated that during his 200 days tenure, a total economic efficiency of BRL 1.9 billion was achieved. These new resources, the result of an economy in the period from September to December 2016, should benefit 1,057 municipalities of the Federation. Only the negotiation for the purchase of repellents to the public coffers generated savings of BRL 128 million. A total of 3 billion hours of protection against the mosquito Aedes aegypti, dengue transmitter, zika and chikungunya, were purchased by the federal government. The purchase of the products is still in the bidding process. The expectation is that, within 15 days after the conclusion of this phase, the repellent supply to pregnant women under the Bolsa Família Program will begin.