A consultation carried out with 2,511 Brazilian health establishments indicates that the creation of national salary floors for nurses, nursing technicians, nursing assistants and midwives could result in the closing of 20 thousand hospital beds across the country and in up to 83 thousand layoffs.
THE law that defines the minimum amounts that will be paid to professionals came into force in the last day 5. The text approved by the National Congress and sanctioned by the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, establishes that no nurse can receive less than R$ 4,750, regardless of whether they work in the private sector or in the federal, state, municipal or Federal District public service.
For nursing technicians, the gain cannot be less than 70% of this amount, that is, R$ 3,325. Assistants and midwives cannot receive less than half of the minimum paid to nurses, that is, less than R$2,375. Union, states, Federal District and municipalities have until the end of the current financial year to adjust the remuneration and respective career plans of their professionals. For CLT workers, the floors are already in place.
Those responsible for the research maintain that the adequacy to the salary floor will increase institutions’ expenses with payroll on average, by 60%. This is why 77% of the institutions consulted responded that, in order to pay the amounts stipulated in Law 14,434, they will have to reduce the number of nurses hired.
In addition, 65% of respondents stated that they will also have to lay off staff from other areas. In addition, 59% predict the cancellation of investments and 51% believe they will have to reduce the number of hospital beds.
“The impacts are immediate. The payroll is there. This survey is just a sample of what will be triggered by Brazil”, said, in a statement, the president of the Confederation of Santas Casas de Misericórdia, Hospitals and Philanthropic Entities (CMB), Mirocles Véras, noting that philanthropic establishments that serve patients of the Unified Health System (SUS) and which, according to him, have long “suffered from public underfunding”, will feel even more the reflexes of the increase in costs.
“The reduction in assistance to the population will be certain, as well as the reduction of jobs in all categories, especially in nursing. All investments and infrastructure improvements will be cancelled, with no light at the end of the tunnel,” added Véras.
Valuation
A member of the Federal Nursing Council (Cofen), Daniel Menezes de Sousa refuted the conclusions of the entities responsible for the research. “We defend the need to improve funding for public health and we stand in solidarity with the philanthropic sector, whose importance is vital. It so happens that the financing problems of this segment do not come from today, and it is not correct to attribute to the valorization of workers the possibility of services becoming unfeasible”, pondered Sousa, telling the Brazil Agency that it is up to the National Congress and the Executive Power to “adjust the bill”.
“Approval of the project that relieves the sector’s payroll would be very important. The establishment of the floor will qualify the work. Many professionals today forced to work double or triple shifts to survive may even give up one of these jobs, giving way to other professionals who do not find vacancies”, commented Sousa.
In addition to the CMB, four other large entities of the Brazilian hospital sector participated in the organization of the research: National Health Confederation – CNSaúde; Brazilian Federation of Hospitals – FBH; National Association of Private Hospitals – Anahp and Brazilian Association of Diagnostic Medicine – Abramed.
