Vanderlan: Health management in Goiânia will be exemplary. And without OS (Social Organizations).

247 - According to recent surveys, one of the main reasons for dissatisfaction among the population of Goiânia is that the healthcare sector is neglected. This statement comes from Vanderlan Cardoso, a pre-candidate for mayor of the capital city from the PSB party. The businessman believes that the political class views healthcare as an expense, when it should be treated as an investment. Vanderlan says it's possible to revolutionize this area without transferring management to social organizations, as the state government does with public hospitals.

Vanderlan says it's astonishing that health is at the top of the people's complaints, considering that the current mayor, Paulo Garcia (PT), is a doctor. According to him, strictly speaking, this should be the area most well-served by the city hall. "There's a lack of planning; a lack of proper investment of resources; a lack of good projects to bring federal resources to the area; and, above all, a lack of competence and commitment from the city hall," states the former mayor of Senador Canedo.

The businessman states that the municipality must first and foremost allocate the mandatory 15% of its budget to invest in healthcare. Then, it should propose serious and feasible projects to the Ministry of Health to secure additional resources. “There’s no need for confusion, social organization, or juggling acts, although partnerships with the private sector can be very useful. What’s needed is commitment, truly qualified, creative, and involved people, without political patronage. Healthcare is a job for experts, not for playing politics,” he affirms.

Citing his experience as mayor of Senador Canedo, Vanderlan says that Goiânia urgently needs to expand the reach of the Family Health Program (PSF). According to him, in a possible PSB administration, this will be the priority project. "To work, we will need to have at least 90% coverage," says Vanderlan, who is the metropolitan president of the party in the capital. Associated with medical teams that visit patients' homes, practicing preventive medicine, he proposes the creation of medical specialty and examination centers. In these locations, based on a preliminary diagnosis made at home, citizens will quickly find a specialist who will conduct the consultation.

To address the shortage of doctors in Goiânia's municipal healthcare system, Vanderlan initially proposes purchasing consultations and exams, fostering partnerships with the private sector. "In Senador Canedo, we made bulk purchases—500, 800, 1,000 consultations, for example—and the price went way down. This is an experience that can very well be transferred to a city the size of Goiânia, without having to hand over healthcare to private organizations," the pre-candidate assures.

Another public-private partnership proposal in healthcare is to negotiate with private hospitals the purchase of elective surgery packages, following the same example as Senador Canedo. “There, a high demand for cataract surgeries was detected, almost six thousand people with the problem, a huge waiting list. I went to the doctors and negotiated packages; first 500, then a thousand. With the high volume, we managed to lower the price by more than 50% and eliminated the problem in the city once and for all. It's possible to do a good job, but you have to take public administration seriously,” he exemplifies.