The speeches at the inauguration of the new trauma sector at the Federal Hospital of Andaraí this Friday (13), with the participation of the president, had as main target the senator (PL), pre-candidate for the Presidency of the Republic.
The senator was appointed as the person responsible for controlling the unit’s contracts while the hospital was going through a process of deterioration under the management of former president Jair Bolsonaro, father of the PL pre-candidate.
The nominal criticisms were made by the mayor of , (), and the municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz (PSD). When contacted by message, Flávio’s press office did not comment on the statements.
The criticism of Flávio was initiated by Paes, who attributed to the senator political indications that affected the management of federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, which would have “made these units, in a process of some time, literally end”.
“The kitchen at this hospital was closed 12 years ago because it was much more business. Instead of spending R$8 million to carry out work, it was spending R$1 million per month to bring hot dishes here. They should have given much more commission to those who had these contracts”, said the mayor.
The Minister of Health, , said that there was a project by a family of “traditional politicians” from the state to “scrap the federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro”.
“They dominated the federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro from the contract to the indication of who admitted and who did not. That’s why they wanted these hospitals not to work. It wasn’t just negligence, it wasn’t just negligence. There is a family that is responsible for this project and I hope, I have faith and we will work hard so that this family never again imagines wanting to take care of the health of our country, as happened during the pandemic.”
Lula did not mention his likely opponent in this year’s presidential elections in his speech.
The president focused on trade unionists who did not go on strike during the period in which the hospital was closed during the Bolsonaro administration, but carried out protests when the federal government announced the municipalization of federal units in Rio de Janeiro. And he sent an indirect message to the senator.
“I don’t know if he was a real trade unionist or if they were militiamen defending the person who ran the hospital. I don’t know. History will prove it,” he said.
In 2021, the unit was mentioned in conversations at Covid’s CPI. The former governor of Rio, Wilson Witzel, stated in a statement at the time that “”, and mentioned, behind the scenes, Flávio Bolsonaro’s supposed influence on the unit.
The federal government, from Bonsucesso and Andaraí.
Specializing in oncology and burn treatment, the Andaraí hospital was opened in 1945. Its burn treatment center is the oldest in Brazil and was considered a national reference.
From 2017 to 2020, the Andaraí hospital underwent temporary suspensions in emergency and pediatric care. Infirmary floors were closed for more than ten years.
‘Something is wrong here’, says Lula about former RJ governors arrested
During the event, Lula wished Paes luck in the campaign for the Government of Rio de Janeiro. The mayor plans to resign next week to run for the Guanabara Palace with the president’s support.
When commenting on the candidacy, Lula recalled the sequence of arrests of former governors of the state, including allies Sérgio Cabral and Luiz Fernando Pezão (MDB), the latter acquitted in the process in which he was the target.
“You remember that this year there is an election for governor of the state. Don’t forget that this state has six former governors in prison. Something is wrong. Let’s assume that one was innocent, okay, one was innocent. Let’s assume that two were innocent. Up to three could be innocent, but six? Something is wrong here.”
