Audit indicates that delay in purchasing vaccines in 2023 caused 80% of doses to expire in stock
An audit by the (Federal Audit Court) concluded that the slowness of the Ministry of Health did not result in the loss of at least R$260 million. The vaccine against Covid-19 was acquired in 2023, during the PT government, in a negotiation process that lasted 7 months.
According to the Court’s technical report, the “excessive delay” was the main cause for the loss of products. At least 8 million of the 10 million doses purchased did not leave the folder’s warehouse and were incinerated when they expired. The vaccine arrived at the government on short notice and at a time when the vaccine, produced by the Butantan Institute, was already out of use in the SUS (Unified Health System).
The Ministry of Health stated that it had found a scenario of “complete abandonment of stocks” left by the management of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The ministry declared that it began purchasing in the first months of 2023, following the guidelines of the WHO (World Health Organization) and the procedures required by the public administration, in a period of global uncertainty about new variants.
INVESTIGATION AT TCU
The investigation in court began at the provocation of opposition congressmen. The case’s rapporteur, Minister Bruno Dantas, assessed that there was no evidence of direct involvement of the then Minister of Health, , in the delay. However, on April 22, the ministers decided to demand explanations from 2 former directors of the ministry’s purchasing area.
The TCU points out two possible irregularities: slowness, in a context that required speed, and failure to coordinate hiring. Court technicians highlight that Butantan officially warned the ministry twice (in May and September 2023) that the contractual delay was consuming the useful life of the batches, manufactured in March of that year.
Days before receiving the vaccines, the Ministry of Health exempted Butantan from the obligation to replace vials with an expiration date shorter than that required in the contract. For TCU, the department took the risk by accepting vaccines without a guarantee of exchange.
JUSTIFICATIONS AND TOTAL LOSS
The financial impact could reach almost the entire contract of R$330 million. Of the approximately 2 million doses passed on to the States, only 260,000 were applied, which could represent a loss of up to 97% of the vaccines purchased.
During the process, the Ministry of Health said it was the result of disinformation campaigns. The argument was rejected by the auditors, who pointed out that the ministry itself already recognized the low popular support, which did not require the formation of large stocks.
Minister Bruno Dantas considered the waste “multicausal” and did not determine the immediate opening of collection of the lost amount (special accounting). However, he indicated that the actions of the former directors presented “slow milestones” that actively contributed to the loss of vaccines.
