MP investigates increase in deaths amid change in management at Hospital da Criança The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) investigates the increase in the number of deaths in the children's ICUs at Hospital Odorico Amaral de Matos, Hospital da Criança, in São Luís, one of the most important public health units in the state. The investigation gathered complaints sent to the General Ombudsman's Office of the Unified Health System (SUS), which report the situation of the ICUs, the technical incapacity of professionals, acts of negligence and medical malpractice, in addition to the consequent increase in the number of deaths. ? Click here and subscribe to the g1 Maranhão channel on WhatsApp According to the complaint, in 2025, 113 children would have died in the hospital. Of this total, 101 deaths occurred within the three ICUs at Hospital da Criança. The increase would be 159% compared to 2024, when 39 deaths were recorded. "These cases not only demonstrate negligence in care, by having a scale that does not meet the demand and workload of pediatricians, but also, due to the prescriptions, certainly malpractice on the part of this team of professionals from IBMED in Teresina", explained prosecutor Herbertb Figueiredo, from the 1st Health Prosecutor's Office. The increase in deaths coincides with the change in the management of the ICUs at the Children's Hospital. In October 2025, the City of São Luís held a tender to hire a company responsible for managing the unit's ICUs. The Brazilian Institute of Medical Services (IBMED) won the bid. According to the complaint sent to the MP-MA, the contract would have drastically reduced the resources allocated to paying for the ICUs, as well as the number of doctors on the team. "Today we work there with three doctors, one in each ICU. And it has already been taken to management, taken to coordination. It has already been said, it has been said in every way that this is illegal, that it is wrong, that it cannot be done, that it is not like that", said a hospital employee who preferred to remain anonymous. READ ALSO: Mother says delay in care at Hospital da Criança in São Luís caused death of baby with bronchiolitis: 'every minute counts' Public Ministry of Maranhão investigates the increase in deaths in children's ICUs at Hospital da Criança Reproduction/TV Mirante In 2024, the State Public Defender's Office recommended to the Public Ministry that it cancel the contract between the City Hall and IBMED. The decision highlighted serious flaws in the notice, such as the reduction of the team and the hiring of doctors without the specialization required for child care. The irregularities were confirmed by the Public Ministry. "There is a technical-financial opinion from the Public Prosecutor's Office in which there is, in fact, the finding of not just one, but several irregularities in the bidding process. The bidding process is riddled with nullities that marked this event", said the prosecutor. The contract may be canceled, according to the Public Ministry, if acts of negligence or malpractice in the deaths are proven. The agency said it will open an investigation to determine who is responsible. Parents allege negligence Patients' families report failures in care, lack of exams and reduction in teams Reproduction/TV Mirante Reports from parents point to failures in care, lack of medication, reduction in teams and possible problems in the assistance provided to hospitalized children. Samila dos Santos Lobato and Ismael lost their twin sons, Bento and Bernardo, aged four months, in less than 24 hours. The babies, who lived with their family in Rosário, a municipality [X] km from São Luis, were taken to the hospital with flu-like symptoms. Bento was hospitalized in the early hours of Saturday, June 27, with suspected bronchiolitis. According to the mother, upon arriving at the unit, she found several intubated children waiting for care. Eight hours later, Bernardo was admitted to the same hospital. "When I entered, my heart grew cold because I saw several children intubated. When it was my son's turn, the doctor evaluated him and said that the solution would be to intubate him", said Samila. The baby's condition worsened. Bento had two cardiorespiratory arrests and was transferred to the ICU, but he did not survive. The death certificate lists acute kidney failure, pneumonia, pneumothorax and septic shock as the causes of death, the most serious stage of sepsis, a generalized infection that causes an intense inflammatory response in the body. On Wednesday, while Bento was buried in Rosário, his brother Bernardo remained hospitalized in São Luís and his health condition was worsening. According to the family, he was still reacting when his mother returned to the hospital after the funeral. Bernardo was intubated, but was never taken to the ICU. He died on Thursday (2), around 9 am. "It's a horrible feeling knowing that I took my children alive. They were looking at me, and I thought they were going to save my children's lives, but they weren't," said the mother. "Burying two children in less than 24 hours is unacceptable. There was a lack of attention, a lack of professionalism," said Ismael. Ismael registered a police report in São Luís to determine responsibility for the death of his children. According to police chief Joviano Furtado, a police investigation has been launched. "We have already opened the police investigation, we are listening to the victims' father and we hope that, within 30 days, we can reach a conclusion about the existence or not of negligence on the part of the hospital and, consequently, indict the person(s) responsible for the incident." Another case is that of Otton, son of Lexciane Barbosa and André Luís. The boy had cerebral palsy, microcephaly and West syndrome, but, according to his parents, he received all the necessary care. Six months ago, the child died. Otton was hospitalized in January this year with an intestinal infection. After 17 days of hospitalization, he died. The death certificate also lists septic shock as the cause of death. "They never said he had sepsis. They never told us he had pneumonia. For me, there was a lack of total assistance," said the mother. The parents claim that exams were no longer carried out during the hospitalization period and that, even after transfer to the ICU, the assistance would not have been sufficient. "It got worse, we questioned it, and the physiotherapists asked for X-rays, but the doctor never did," said the mother. The investigations are nearing completion. If acts of negligence or malpractice are proven among these children, the MP will open a criminal investigation to determine who is responsible. Health professionals complain about conditions MP-MA investigates report of 159% increase in deaths in ICUs at Hospital da Criança, in São Luís Reproduction/TV Mirante Health professionals who work at Hospital da Criança and monitor the unit's routine daily reported the conditions faced after the change in ICU management. According to them, the changes that occurred after the change in management of the units, in October last year, were not limited to the reduction in the number of doctors. There was also a change in the team's technical profile. According to reports, some of the new professionals hired would not have experience in pediatrics, despite working in a hospital specializing in children's care. "A new team arrived and, as far as we knew, they should all be pediatricians. But, during this process, we discovered that they are not", said one of the professionals interviewed, who preferred not to be identified. Another doctor, also on condition of anonymity, stated that the lack of experience would have directly impacted the care provided to children. "We are talking about a pediatric hospital. They do not have a clinical framework and, often, they do not know how to manage it," he reported. According to professionals, problems began to appear in daily care. They cite situations in which children in serious condition would not have received the necessary support. Professionals also report that the stabilization and short-stay sectors started to receive patients in serious condition due to the lack of vacancies and the difficulty in accessing the ICUs. "One of the worst cases I've ever seen was that of a patient who went into cardiorespiratory arrest in a bed they call an 'isolation bed', accompanied only by his mother. The child stopped. By the time people came in to check anything, she was already dead. How does a child go on parade and no one notices? Nobody saw it? There is no professional who remains at the bedside within isolation. This is prohibited by senior management", said the employee. What the authorities say In a note, the City of São Luís reported that there was no increase in the number of deaths at the Children's Hospital, but only a variation of 4.5% between 2024 and 2025, going from 112 to 117 deaths. The municipal management also ensured that the ICU professional staff fully complies with the requirements of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). Furthermore, he highlighted that there are no official records of widespread shortages of supplies and that the flow of hospital materials follows continuous planning. The City Hall also stated that the tender and the contract signed with IBMED strictly comply with the legislation and that the Court of Auditors of the State of Maranhão (TCE-MA) denied the suspension requests and archived the representations presented against the municipality. The Regional Council of Medicine of Maranhão (CRM-MA) informed that it monitors the situation of the Pediatric ICU at Hospital da Criança to guarantee the safety of care and the working conditions of doctors. The council emphasized that it acts in accordance with the legislation and that it will adopt the appropriate measures if irregularities are found. The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) informed that it received the complaint and that it will be analyzed by a public prosecutor, responsible for evaluating the adoption of appropriate measures to investigate the facts. The Ministry of Health reported that it is investigating the complaints sent to the Ombudsman's Office about the deaths recorded at the Children's Hospital, in São Luis.