One of the partners of the PCS Lab Saleme laboratory, Walter Viera, arrested after patients were infected with HIV after transplants in Rio de Janeirostated in a statement to the police that the preliminary result made by the laboratory’s internal investigation points to evidence of human error in the transcription of the results of two HIV tests.
The laboratory is being investigated for having issued reports that said the two donors did not have HIV, when in fact they were positive for the virus. This led to the HIV infection of six people who received the organs.
In a note released this Monday (14), PCS Lab Saleme, which after the incident opened an internal investigation, says that there is evidence of human error and states that there is no criminal scheme to fake results.
The note says that the defense of Walter Viera and Mateus Vieira, who is also a partner in the laboratory, “vehemently repudiates the insinuation that there was a criminal scheme to forge reports in the laboratory, which has been operating in the market since 1969. The defense is confident that , after the clarifications provided by Walter, the Court will consider it unnecessary to keep him in prison”, says the text.
The laboratory also says that Matheus Vieira voluntarily presented himself to the police and was released. “He assured the authorities that he will testify when his defense has full access to the investigation files.”
The note also says that Jacqueline Iris Bacellar de Assis, whose signature appears on one of the reports, “presented inappropriate documentation (biomedical diploma and professional card with qualifications in pathology), inducing the laboratory to believe that she was competent to sign reports”.
Jacqueline’s lawyer was contacted, but did not return contact from Agência Brasil until the publication of the report.
PCS Lab Saleme highlighted that, in the last 12 months, it carried out more than 3 million tests and that, since December 1st, when it began providing services to the Rio de Janeiro State Government Health Foundation, it has purchased at least 900 tests for HIV diagnosis in blood samples from organ donors, following recommendations from the Ministry of Health and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa).
The laboratory also reaffirmed that it will provide the necessary support to victims “as soon as it has official access to their identity; and which is available to the authorities investigating the case.”
Unprecedented case
The unprecedented case is considered serious by the State Department of Health (SES) and the Ministry of Health. The Civil Police and Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) are investigating the circumstances in which the infections occurred.
The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), state and municipal Health Surveillance and the National Transplant System (SNT) of the Ministry of Health coordinate a series of actions to investigate HIV infection in transplant patients in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
PCS Lab Saleme was closed by the local Health Surveillance, with technical guidance from Anvisa, until the investigations were completed, focusing on the safety of transplants. New pre-transplant exams are being carried out at Hemorio.
The laboratory had at least three contracts with the Health Foundation. The foundation, linked to the State Department of Health, is responsible for managing the units of the state network. The laboratory has, among its partners, family members of federal deputy Dr. Luizinho (PP-RJ), who was state secretary of Health from January to September 2023.
In a note released by his advisor last Friday (11), the parliamentarian said that when he was secretary he never participated in the choice of this or any laboratory.
