Doctors give testimony in investigation into child's death at Hospital da Criança Two doctors from Hospital da Criança gave testimony to the Civil Police this Thursday (16), in São Luís. They were heard for more than three hours in the investigation investigating the death of Bernardo, aged 4, treated at the unit. The professionals left the police station in the early afternoon. Bernardo died on July 2, six days after being admitted to the hospital. The death occurred approximately 13 hours after that of his twin brother, Bento. ? Click here and subscribe to the g1 Maranhão channel on WhatsApp According to the parents, the brothers were taken to Hospital da Criança on June 27th, with flu symptoms. Bento arrived in the early hours of the morning in a more serious condition, he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and needed to be intubated. He died in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) bed. Bernardo was taken to the hospital in the morning. According to the family, he remained in the medication room for two days and died in the stabilization room, where he was intubated. The two doctors interviewed by the police participated in caring for the child. Bernardo's family also gave a statement at the beginning of the week. The delegate responsible for the investigation requested the child's medical records from the hospital. The document will be forwarded to the Legal Medical Institute (IML), which will carry out a technical analysis of the procedures adopted during the service. At the request of the Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA), the Civil Police also opened another investigation to investigate the alleged increase in the number of deaths in the ICUs of Hospital da Criança. This Thursday morning (16), 101 crosses were placed in front of the unit. The silent protest honored children who died in hospital. The event was organized by guardianship counselors from São Luís. According to the organizers, the demonstration aimed to provide solidarity to the families and demand action from the responsible bodies. The counselors stated that 113 children had died in the unit since last year and defended intervention by the competent bodies. The final report of an inspection carried out by the Public Defender's Office must be completed by Monday (20). Defenders anticipated that serious flaws were found that could compromise ICU care. During the inspection, it was found that there was only one doctor working in each of the three ICUs. According to the Public Defender's Office, each sector should have at least two professionals. In total, there were three doctors, when the minimum number indicated would be six. According to defenders, the reduction in staff harms the care of children in serious condition, who may need rapid interventions. The inspection also identified doctors without specialization in pediatrics, reports of frequent shortages of medicines and delays in transferring patients to other units when there are no vacancies in the ICUs. The Public Defender's Office informed that it must contact state and federal inspection bodies, in addition to the Medical and Nursing councils. The agency also intends to demand emergency measures from the city hall to correct the problems. If the changes are not made within a short period of time, the Ombudsman's Office may take legal action to demand the adaptation and reorganization of the service. A memo from the São Luís Municipal Health Department informs that it was requested to open an emergency hiring process for pediatric intensive care doctors for the Children's Hospital. According to the document, the process considers the parameters of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and seeks to guarantee the continuity of services in pediatric ICUs. The memo also states that Ibemed, the institute responsible for managing the hospital's ICUs, requested an economic-financial rebalancing of the contract. 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. Despite the information presented in the memo, the municipal secretary of Health of São Luís, Ana Carolina Marques, stated that there is no emergency contracting in progress. According to her, the current contract remains valid until July 22. The secretary also informed that the city hall is negotiating a new contract through mediation conducted by the Public Ministry. She also confirmed that there was a request for economic-financial rebalancing of the contract. Protest with more than 100 crosses demands responses about deaths in ICUs at the Children's Hospital Protest with crosses demands responses about deaths in ICUs at the Children's Hospital More than 100 crosses were placed in front of the Children's Hospital Dr. Odorico Amaral de Matos, in São Luís, this Thursday morning (16). The protest, organized by guardianship counselors and family members, demanded answers about deaths in pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and reports of possible failures in care. The number refers to the number of children who, according to complaints sent to supervisory bodies and the General Ombudsman's Office of the Unified Health System (SUS), died in the hospital's three pediatric ICUs in 2025. The complaints state that 113 children died in the unit that year and that 101 of these deaths occurred in the ICUs. The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MPMA), the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), the Public Defender's Office of the State of Maranhão, the Ministry of Health and the Civil Police are investigating different aspects of the case. Suspicions increased after a change in ICU management. In October 2025, the Brazilian Institute of Medical Services (IBMED) took over the service through a contract with the City of São Luís. Professionals, family members and Defensoria Pú