Data collected by the Confederation of Santas Casas de Misericórdia, Hospitals and Philanthropic Entities (CMB) show that in 2023, hospitalizations with a high complexity profile carried out by the philanthropic sector totaled 61.33%. The public network was responsible for 27.94% and the private network for 10.73%.
According to the CMB, in Brazil, 1,814 philanthropic hospitals provide 184,328 beds (inpatient units and ICU), of which 129,650 are allocated to the Unified Health System (SUS). In 800 Brazilian municipalities, hospital care is provided solely by these hospital structures, which guarantee jobs for more than 1 million people.
According to the survey, also last year, philanthropic hospitals performed 67% of oncology care and 65% of cardiology surgeries were performed by these institutions, in addition to 60% of highly complex elective surgeries.
Philanthropic entities were responsible for almost 70% of organ transplant procedures in 2023, and were responsible for 68% of bone marrow transplants and 62% of tissue and cell transplants.
“The philanthropic hospital network is the foundation of the SUS (Unified Health System). These numbers are not just statistics; they represent lives saved, care provided and the dedication of thousands of professionals committed to the health and well-being of our population. Our hospitals are proud of their role and are committed to continuing to be a strategic partner of the SUS, working to continually improve the quality and efficiency of health care in Brazil,” said CMB President Mirocles Véras.
Véras also highlighted that when we understand that 30% of the health system is the responsibility of states and municipalities, in addition to the private network, the importance and sustainability of these institutions becomes clear. According to him, the current focus of the CMB is precisely to ensure the sustainability of philanthropic hospitals, but a problem that still persists is the 60% gap in the SUS table, which results in underfunding.
Because of this, institutions resort to ways to supplement these amounts with donations, parliamentary amendments and bank loans which, although necessary, can result in additional financial challenges.
“We have been working not only on financial sustainability, but also on qualifying our network. We have formed partnerships with the University of São Camilo to qualify providers and employees of our hospitals with doctorates and specialization courses. We have formed a partnership to give these institutions greater control over their costs and management. We have worked very effectively in this way,” said the president of CMB.
Véras also cited the Law No. 14,820/24sanctioned at the beginning of this year and which guarantees the annual review of the remuneration values for services provided to the SUS. The institutions are now awaiting the regulation of the law.
“With better compensation, the number of people served could increase. Today, unfortunately, some hospitals have reduced the number of patients served, not because they want to, but because they need to keep the institution open. And we are not talking about a private company that wants to make a profit. What we want is sustainability, balance in our contracts. With this, we will be able to plan, increase the number of beds, buy more equipment, increase our technological park, and our number of staff,” he explained.
