Federal Court of Pernambuco evaluates the removal of the Minister of Health.

Current Brazil Network - The public civil action filed by the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office of Pernambuco (MPF-PE), which among other things calls for the removal of Health Minister Ricardo Barros, was assigned to the 3rd Federal Court of the same state. This court handles cases in which the Union, autonomous agencies or federal companies are involved, as plaintiffs or defendants, in crimes related to assets, services or interests related to the federal government. There is still no information on the progress of the case. The filing of the action was announced by the MPF last Monday (16).

In the lawsuit filed against the Federal Government, Public Prosecutor Silvia Regina Pontes Lopes requests that the contract signed with the Brazilian Blood Products and Biotechnology Company (Hemobras) be upheld. The objective is to prevent any potential transfer of plasma processing technology to the Paraná Institute of Technology (Tecpar), which has been publicly advocated by the Ministry of Health.

Minister Ricardo Barros is a federal deputy for the Progressive Party of Paraná, having taken leave to head the ministry as soon as Temer took office. A proponent of "shrinking the SUS" (Brazilian public healthcare system) and "accessible" health plans – cheaper because they only cover inexpensive consultations and exams, leaving expensive procedures to the public service – the Paraná native is also behind the reform of the current health plan law, which will harm users and favor business owners in the sector.

He is married to Cida Borghetti (PP), vice-governor to Beto Richa (PSDB) in Paraná, and wields influence in the state.

A civil engineer and businessman, he was mayor of Maringá. He is the son of former Maringá mayor Silvio Magalhães Barros and brother of former mayor Silvio Barros. He served as Secretary of Industry, Commerce, and Mercosur Affairs for Paraná from 2011 to 2014, during Richa's first term as governor.

His name has been linked to the irregular use of federal funds at the company Magalhães Barros Radiodifusão Ltda., and the case is still pending before the Supreme Federal Court (STF). He was also convicted by the Court of Justice of Paraná for violating the principle of morality by waiving bidding procedures and simulating the sale of public machinery (garbage collectors) in 1991, when he was mayor of Maringá.

Hemobrás
In August, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office issued recommendations against the appointment to management positions within Hemobrás or the Ministry of Health of individuals directly or indirectly linked to private companies interested in the transfer of technology for processing plasma (blood) or producing blood products, especially those who have previously worked with pharmaceutical companies.

Another recommendation reinforced that any transfer of plasma processing technology and production of blood products should follow the provisions of the Bidding and Contracts Law or legislation that regulates Public-Private Partnerships.

In September, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office obtained a court decision obligating the Federal Government to adopt, within six months, the necessary measures to contract a plasma fractionation industry to meet the demand for stocks at Hemobras.

According to the public prosecutor, in the lawsuit, the Minister of Health, Ricardo Barros, publicly stated his interest in bringing the "blood market" to Paraná. He also seeks to "undermine" the institutional responsibilities of the Brazilian Hemoderivatives and Biotechnology Company in order to attract the production and industrialization of essential blood products for the Unified Health System (SUS), currently produced by the state-owned company, to his state (Paraná).

"The Ministry of Health's intention blatantly violates the principles of Public Administration enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic, notably those of efficiency and morality," emphasizes the public prosecutor.

Impacts
According to the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), the hiring of the Paraná Technology Institute (Tecpar) will compromise 90% of the public company's budget. The public prosecutor argues that "the conduct of urgently hiring Tecpar is a result of the minister's own omission in continuing a technology transfer project that involved investments of around R$ 1 billion to enable the Productive Development Partnership (PDP)."

It also highlights that the Ministry of Health did not even analyze the proposal submitted by Shire, the company contracted by Hemobras to enable the continuation of the PDP (Product Development Partnership). "This omission has persisted for four months and implies shelving the PDP, violating the legislation governing the administrative process, which stipulates a maximum response time of 30 days for the proposal," it emphasizes.