Guardianship counselors take action in support of families of dead children An agreement mediated by the Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) guaranteed, for another 60 days, the maintenance of the services of doctors who work in the Pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of Hospital da Criança Dr. Odorico Amaral de Matos, amid reports of possible service failures. ? Click here and subscribe to the g1 Maranhão channel on WhatsApp The hearing was led by prosecutor Herberth Costa Figueiredo, from the 19th Specialized Public Prosecutor's Office for the Defense of Health, and included representatives from the Municipal Health Department (Semus), the Municipal Attorney General's Office (PGM) and the Brazilian Institute of Medical Services (IBMED), responsible for managing the unit's ICUs. According to the Public Ministry, the hearing took place after the company requested a 114% adjustment in the contract signed with Semus. The request was presented on April 22, in response to the secretariat's consultation on the renewal of Contract No. 339/2025. The original contract with the company was R$4.77 million per year. After an amendment signed in March this year, the value increased to R$5.36 million annually, equivalent to R$446.6 thousand per month. With the adjustment request, IBMED requested that the monthly amount be increased to R$956.9 thousand, totaling R$11.48 million per year. According to the company, the increase would be necessary to compensate for a monthly operating deficit of R$559,500, caused by the increase in costs to maintain medical teams. Also according to the institute, the financial imbalance occurred after 51 pediatric intensive care doctors refused to join the company. Given this scenario, it was necessary to hire professionals from Teresina (PI), which generated expenses with transportation, accommodation and food. IBMED also informed that it communicated the situation to the Public Ministry in 2025 and that this context supports the request for economic-financial rebalancing of the contract. The Municipal Health Department reported that the adjustment request is related to the increase in costs for hiring doctors from other states. The Municipal Attorney General's Office stated that a possible financial recovery depends on the carrying out of technical studies. In the statement sent to Semus, IBMED cites a technical-accounting opinion and other documents that, according to the company, demonstrate the need for economic-financial rebalancing of the contract. The institute also mentions statements from the Semus Purchasing and Contracts Coordination, the Public Ministry of Accounts and a decision from the Court of Auditors of the State of Maranhão (TCE-MA). Secretariat requested emergency hiring of doctors The Municipal Health Secretariat prepared, on Thursday morning (16), a memorandum requesting, on an emergency basis, the hiring of a specialized company to maintain medical services in the Pediatric ICU of the Children's Hospital. The document points out that the measure would be necessary to avoid interrupting assistance given the impasse in negotiations with IBMED. The city council considered that the values ??presented were not advantageous. According to the document, the requested adjustment would cause a budgetary impact of 114.25%. The text states that emergency hiring seeks to guarantee immediate care for children, ensure continuity of care and avoid the worsening of clinical conditions due to lack of professionals. The unit has 29 beds and, according to the memo, is facing difficulties in maintaining the roster of pediatric intensive care doctors. The proposal envisages the hiring of 14 professionals, including coordinators, on-call workers and day laborers. The mediation hearing at the Public Ministry took place at 12pm on the same day. If authorized, the emergency contract will last 12 months, with no possibility of extension. Director of the hospital and doctors from the unit give a statement Julieta Carvalho Rocha, director of the Hospital da Criança, gave a statement to the police Reproduction/TV Mirante Julieta Carvalho Rocha, director of the Hospital da Criança Dr. Odorico Amaral de Matos, gave a statement, this Friday (17), to the Civil Police of Maranhão in the investigation that investigates the increase in deaths of children registered in the hospital unit and the deaths of the boys Bento and Bernardo. She arrived accompanied by a lawyer from the hospital's legal department and gave a statement for more than an hour. On Thursday (16), two other doctors from Hospital da Criança gave a statement to the Civil Police in São Luís. According to delegate Joviano Furtado, responsible for the investigation, although the mother and the doctors who attended to the boy Bernardo in the stabilization room reported that the family requested an ICU bed, but was informed that there was no space available, the director stated in her statement that she was not aware of this situation. According to her, the child received care in a room with a structure similar to an ICU. Regarding the investigation investigating the increase in child deaths in the unit, the director stated that the company responsible for managing the ICUs faced difficulties in hiring new professionals after signing the new contract, as part of the previous team did not accept the new working conditions. She also stated that the increase in the number of deaths from one year to the next was considered irrelevant. "There is information in the statement from the victim's own mother that she requested her son be transferred to the ICU and, according to the statements, this did not occur due to lack of space. However, the director stated that the care was provided in a place with a structure similar to that of an ICU. She also said that the increase in the number of deaths was irrelevant, small. According to her, in 2024, 113 deaths were recorded and, in 2025, 117. She considered this increase to be small and within normal limits. Still, According to the statement, the contracted company had difficulty