'The poor will die at the doors of hospitals,' says USP professor Miguel Srougi.
"Those who will suffer the most are the poor, the most vulnerable. They will die at the doors of hospitals, they won't be able to get in, much less receive a tube to breathe and survive pneumonia," says Miguel Srougi, surgeon and professor at USP (University of São Paulo).
247 - Surgeon and professor at USP (University of São Paulo), Miguel Srougi, 73, criticizes the way the Jair Bolsonaro government has handled the coronavirus crisis. According to the professor, the Brazilian hospital infrastructure indicates that the most vulnerable will be left without care at the peak of the pandemic.
"Those who will suffer the most are the poor, the most vulnerable. They will die at the doors of hospitals, they won't be able to get in, much less receive a tube to breathe and survive pneumonia. The poor will die on the sidewalk," he said, who is a urologist. The accounts were published in O Globo newspaper.
According to the professor, "hospitals are already reducing the number of elective surgeries; anything that is not urgent will be postponed."
"Hospitals are preparing to receive patients. In specific areas, this staff is very competent and is doing this perfectly. But as we will have increases in cases, this could have a significant impact. In the last ten years, 40 to 50 beds in the country's public health system (SUS) have been closed due to a lack of resources," he stated.
"A weakened, degraded system in a country that desperately needs it. Governments that resort to private hospitals have a rationale, but none of them will transform their expensive and complex structures into field hospitals. But they will certainly have to collaborate."