Families contest the statement from São Luís City Hall on deaths at the Children's Hospital Parents of children who died after being treated at the Odorico Amaral de Matos Children's Hospital, in São Luís, contested information released by the city hall about the cases. According to them, the note published by the municipal management presents incorrect data about the children's health status, how they arrived at the unit and the circumstances of their hospitalizations. Hospital da Criança is one of the main public child care units in Maranhão. The Public Ministry of Maranhão (MP-MA) is investigating complaints related to the increase in the number of deaths in the hospital's Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The investigation brings together complaints sent to the General Ombudsman's Office of the Unified Health System (SUS). The reports mention problems in the structure of the ICUs, lack of materials, possible technical incapacity of professionals and suspicions of negligence and medical malpractice. In light of the complaints, the site was audited by the Ministry of Health, this Tuesday (14). The complaints and data related to the deaths were sent to the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) and the Federal Police. ?Download the g1 app to see MA news in real time and for free Find out more: MP-MA investigates report of 159% increase in deaths in ICUs at Hospital da Criança, in São Luís Audit by the Ministry of Health at Hospital da Criança in São Luís lasts three hours and final report should be released in the next few days Parents dispute note from São Luís City Hall on deaths of their children at Hospital da Criança Reproduction/TV Mirante Mother of twins denies that children arrived by ambulance in serious condition Among the cases mentioned in the city hall note are those of four-month-old twins Bento and Bernardo. They were admitted to the Children's Hospital on June 27, with flu-like symptoms, were diagnosed with bronchiolitis and died days later. In the document, the City of São Luís states that Bento had been transferred by ambulance from the municipality of Rosário, already in a very serious condition and with bronchiolitis in an advanced stage. The information was denied by the children's mother, Carla Samila dos Santos. "The rejection note that the city hall put out is completely false. They reported that we had left Rosário by ambulance and that my son had already arrived in a serious condition. We didn't go by ambulance because he wasn't admitted to the Rosário Hospital. We left in our own car and went straight to São Luís. My son wasn't in a serious condition when he arrived. My son got worse there in the hospital", he stated. Rosário City Hall also spoke out on social media and declared that the babies were not transported by a municipal ambulance. According to municipal management, the note released by São Luís City Hall contains a mistake about the origin of hospitalizations. Despite this, the clinical director of the Brazilian Institute of Medicine and Development (IBMED), Paulo Bayma, also stated that the children had come from Rosário in an ambulance without a doctor and without an oxygen cylinder. The version is contested by parents. Families of patients report failures in care, lack of exams and reduction of teams Reproduction/TV Mirante Mother says that Bernardo arrived with only flu-like symptoms The note from the City of São Luís also informs that Bernardo was admitted to the hospital with a condition similar to that of his brother. The mother states, however, that he only had flu-like symptoms and did not have pneumonia when he arrived at the unit. "And regarding Bernardo, they reported that my son had come in with pneumonia. My son didn't have pneumonia. My son came in with flu-like symptoms," said Carla Samila. According to his mother, Bento initially presented the most serious condition, with tiredness and difficulty breathing. The medical team reportedly informed the family that it would be necessary to intubate the baby. Bernardo, according to his relatives, had symptoms considered milder and remained in a medication room for two days. The family claims that the condition of the two worsened inside the hospital. After suffering two cardiorespiratory arrests, Bento was taken to an ICU, but did not survive. The death certificate indicates acute renal failure, pneumonia, pneumothorax and septic shock. About 24 hours after Bento's burial, Bernardo also died. Prematurity is cited by the city hall In the note, the city hall highlights that the brothers were four months old and had a history of prematurity. For the mother, the information was used to associate the deaths with the children's alleged previous fragility. "Although my children were born prematurely, my children were healthy boys. My children were not sick. My children were not in hospitals. My children were healthy," said Carla Samila. , said Carla Samila. She classified the content of the document as disrespectful and said that the version presented by the municipal management does not correspond to what was experienced by the family during hospitalization. Otto's family disputes reference to palliative care Parents dispute note from São Luís City Hall on their children's deaths at the Children's Hospital Reproduction/TV Mirante Another case mentioned by the city hall is that of Otto, aged nine months, who died after being hospitalized for 17 days at the Children's Hospital. In the note, municipal management states that the baby had a serious degenerative disease, West syndrome, microcephaly, sequelae of perinatal anoxia and chronic progressive encephalopathy. The document also highlights that he had a tracheostomy and gastrostomy and was in palliative care. The family does not deny the child's clinical conditions, but states that they do not explain or justify the problems that occurred during hospitalization. "What happened to him was not to blame for his condition. The hospital's negligence was to blame. The mistreatment he received... Because, for me, that was what they did to my son, because they didn't respect him even at the time of his death. We already understood that he was already dead. He was purple, his saturation was at 0, at 2, and the doctor had given him adrenaline. He simply told us that he wasn't going to take away the adrenaline, because we might regret it and sue them," said the mother, Leyciane Barbosa. According to her, the note minimized the circumstances of the death and disrespected her son's story. "When I read it, I felt a huge pain, because, for me, it was disrespectful to the pain my son went through. My son fought so hard to live. He was very strong, despite everything they did to him. It's as if they were saying that my son was nothing, that his death was nothing", he lamented. Parents explain the meaning of palliative care André, Otto's father, also challenged the way the city hall mentioned palliative care. According to him, palliative care was intended to ensure comfort, adequate treatment and quality of life, and did not mean that the child's death was considered immediate or inevitable. "A person who already enters the hospital, in his case, already enters palliative care, but not care. final palliatives. She goes into palliative care, into caring for the best way to serve him, the best way to treat him. Not in palliative care to say that, in two hours, he will die: ‘Let’s put morphine right away, let’s put him on adrenaline straight away’. No. The palliative care he was in, according to what they told us, was the care to take care of him, to find the best possible way to treat him so that he could be discharged", highlighted the father. The family reports that Otto had previously been treated at the Children's Hospital. In one of these hospitalizations, he would have been transferred from the ICU to a ward even though he was not clinically fit, according to his mother. When he was transferred to another children's hospital, he managed to recover and was discharged. In January 2026, Otto was admitted to the Children's Hospital again, this time with an intestinal infection. The parents claim that exams and basic procedures took time to be carried out. He died after 17 days of hospitalization. The death certificate indicates septic shock as the cause of death. Leyciane, the lack of probes put children with tracheostomies at risk who depend on frequent suctioning to remove secretions “The lack of material is not just medication. It's a probe, it's not having a probe to perform an aspiration, it's not being able to save a child. Because, if it is a child who uses a tracheostomy, and there are several types, it is not just a child who has cerebral palsy who uses a tracheostomy, there are several reasons for using a tracheostomy, people can live their entire lives with a tracheostomy, but they need care, which is aspiration. If you are there, especially with a child who doesn't know how to cough, who doesn't know how to cough up alone, you need to aspirate. If you don't vacuum it, it suffocates, it dies. So, we had to buy the probe to take to the hospital, so that our son wouldn't die from asphyxiation from his own secretion", stated Otto's mother. The family also reports that they had to buy materials and medicines that should have been available in the unit, including gloves, probes and an anticonvulsant that cost around R$600. Families say that the note attempts to discredit reports In the publication, the City of São Luís also disputes the numbers presented in the reports and disclosed in reports about the Children's Hospital. The families claim, however, that the data cited are part of documents and reports investigated by the Public Ministry of Maranhão and forwarded to the Federal Public Ministry and the Federal Police. “My son did not harm anyone. On the contrary, they only did him harm. For me, it's as if they were hurting my son's honor, everything he fought for and everything he represented. Despite all the harm they did, he continued to fight. The note tries to erase his story and diminish the importance of his life. There are no words that can explain this feeling of indignation," he said. The families demand an investigation into the circumstances of the deaths, the conditions of care at the hospital and the possible lack of professionals, medicines and materials in the unit. Children's Hospital undergoes audit by the Ministry of Health Public Ministry of Maranhão investigates the increase in deaths in the children's ICUs at the Children's Hospital Reproduction/TV Mirante Technicians from the Ministry of Health were, on the morning of this Tuesday (14), at the Children's Hospital Odorico Amaral de Matos, in São Luís, to investigate complaints related to the operation of the unit's pediatric Intensive Care Units (ICUs). The audit is conducted by the National Audit Department of the Unified Health System (DenaSUS) and was opened after reports about child deaths and alleged failures in care were forwarded to the Ministry of Health's Ombudsman's Office. The inspection is coordinated by the director of DenaSUS, Rafael Bruxellas, and involves the participation of others. Four technicians from the department. In total, five members work on the audit. The report with the team's conclusions is expected to be finalized in the coming days. To date, there is no official conclusion that establishes the causes of the deaths or a direct relationship between the deaths and the changes made in the management of the ICUs. in the care and worsening of children Reports indicate an increase in deaths in the ICUs at the Children's Hospital in São Luís Among the cases investigated is that of Kerliane, aged 7, who died after being treated and admitted to the Children's Hospital According to her mother, civil firefighter Jainara Sousa dos Santos, the girl was taken to the unit on April 23 with pain in her leg. Two days earlier, she had fallen in her backyard and injured her buttocks. Jainara states that her daughter underwent blood tests and a CT scan. After identifying a clot, the child would have been discharged without undergoing drainage. "My daughter wasn't that bad, but she did some blood tests and showed a little anemia. If there was a slight infection, they didn't say anything right away and discharged my daughter", reported Jainara. Two days later, the mother returned to the hospital because the pain had increased and the girl began to vomit. New tests would have indicated an infection, in addition to changes in the lungs, liver and kidneys. Kerliane was intubated in an area known as the “large room”, where she remained for two days before being transferred to an ICU. The girl died on April 29th. "My daughter's leg was just swelling and she (the doctor) said it was normal, that it was a reduction in fluid. When they thought about draining it, it was on the 29th, my daughter passed away", lamented the mother. The death certificate lists the causes of death as respiratory arrest, sepsis, hematogenous pneumonia and septic arthritis, a serious bacterial infection that affects the joints. "I feel destroyed every day because (a daughter) is missing from the house. It's painful. It's something that kills us every day, knowing that you delivered your child safely and brought your child back in a funeral home car," said Jainara. Kerliane, aged 7, died after being treated and admitted to the Children's Hospital in São Luís. Reproduction/TV Mirante The case is investigated by the Public Ministry of Maranhão. "These cases not only demonstrate negligence in care, by having a scale that does not meet the demand and work overload of pediatric doctors, 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. Complaints point to an increase in deaths in ICUs MP-MA investigates a report of a 159% increase in deaths in ICUs at the Children's Hospital, in São Luís Reproduction/TV Mirante Documents sent to supervisory bodies indicate that Hospital da Criança would have recorded 113 deaths in 2025. Of this total, 101 would have occurred within the unit's three pediatric ICUs. The number would represent an increase of approximately 159% compared to 2024, when, according to the complainants, 39 deaths would have been recorded in intensive care units. The City of São Luís disputes the numbers presented in the complaints. According to information sent by the municipal administration to produce the report, the hospital would have recorded 112 deaths in 2024 and 117 in 2025. The data cited by the city hall, however, differ from the records available in the Ministry of Health system. In relation to 2025, only 31 deaths would be registered in DataSUS, a difference of 86 deaths compared to the total reported by the municipality. The material made available for the report does not present the DataSUS number for 2024, which prevents comparison between data from that year. Professionals interviewed on condition of anonymity state that possible underreporting harms action planning, assessment of the quality of care and the adoption of measures to reduce deaths considered preventable. “You lose the data, you stop planning public health things, public health measures to prevent this type of death, to have an action plan, to know why they are happening, so that others do not happen”, highlights a doctor from the health unit. According to documents cited in the investigation, more than half of the 31 deaths registered in the SUS system in 2025 could have been avoided. The classification and criteria used must be detailed by the responsible bodies during the investigations. Indicators point to 65 deaths in the first semester. The report also had access to internal indicators from the Children's Hospital for the period between January 1st and June 30th, 2026. According to the documents, 65 deaths were recorded in the unit during the first semester. Fifty-three of them occurred within the ICUs. The data points to a growth of 38.89% compared to the same period of the previous year. The information is part of the set of documents analyzed by the Public Ministry and other bodies that investigate the operation of the hospital. Professionals denounce reduction in medical staff Doctors, nurses and technicians who work or have worked at Hospital da Criança claim that there was a significant reduction in staff after a change in ICU management. The professionals agreed to speak without being identified for fear of retaliation. According to a pediatrician, until October 12, 2025, the three ICUs had 53 doctors. The shifts would have eight professionals in the morning, six in the afternoon and six at night. From October 13th, according to reports, the number of doctors would have been reduced. On certain shifts, there would only be three professionals to serve the three ICUs — one doctor in each unit. The complainants also claim that some of the people on duty do not have specialization or experience in pediatrics. "With this number of professionals, even a trained, very experienced and qualified doctor would not be able to handle this scenario. And we are talking about people who have no experience in pediatrics. In the vast majority of cases, it is not a pediatrician who is on duty, and this has a direct impact on care." Another doctor stated that reducing the team could reduce the chances of survival of children hospitalized in serious condition. Employees also reported possible failures in prescriptions, lack of materials, lack of medicines and difficulties in carrying out emergency procedures. In one of the reports, a professional stated that two doctors were unable to perform a defibrillation while caring for a child who suffered a cardiac arrest. The patient died. The complaint will still be analyzed by the responsible bodies and there is, to date, no official conclusion on the episode. Change occurred after hiring a company In October 2025, the City of São Luís held a tender to hire a company responsible for managing the ICUs at Hospital da Criança. The Brazilian Institute of Medical Services, IBMED, won the dispute and took over management of the units. According to the complaints, the new contract would have reduced the resources allocated to paying for the ICUs and reduced the number of doctors on the rosters. Professionals who previously worked at the unit say that some team members were invited to stay, but declined the proposal because they considered that the expected number of doctors would be insufficient to guarantee safe care. One of the doctors interviewed stated that it would be “humanly impossible” for a single professional, even a qualified one, to care for a highly complex pediatric ICU alone. The Public Defender's Office of Maranhão (DPE-MA) also began monitoring the case and identified possible flaws in the notice used to contract IBMED. Among the problems highlighted would be the reduction of the medical team and the possibility of hiring professionals without the specialization required to work in pediatric ICUs. In view of the irregularities, the Public Defender's Office asked the Public Ministry to annul the contract signed between the City of São Luís and the institute. The Public Ministry opened an investigation to investigate both the deaths and possible flaws in the bidding process. If acts of negligence, imprudence or malpractice related to the deaths are proven, the agency may launch a criminal investigation to identify and hold those involved responsible. Audit was opened after complaints to the SUS Ombudsman's Office Ministry of Health investigates complaints about ICUs at the Children's Hospital Description: The complaints were also forwarded directly to the Ministry of Health through the SUS Ombudsman's Office. In one of the reports, a mother states that her daughter was initially diagnosed with bronchiolitis and was treated for the disease. Later, another doctor discovered that the child had fluid accumulation around the heart. The case is among the episodes analyzed by the DenaSUS team during this Tuesday's audit. In addition to in-person inspections, auditors must examine medical records, professional rosters, contracts, mortality indicators, hospitalization records and notifications posted in the SUS systems. The final report must indicate whether there were administrative irregularities, failures in assistance, problems in the composition of teams or inconsistencies in death records. What the authorities say City Hall denies omission of data The City of São Luís denied that there is a widespread shortage of supplies and medicines at the Children's Hospital. Municipal management admitted, however, that occasional reductions in stocks may occur during periods of high demand. In these situations, according to the municipality, internal relocation of materials or replacement of medicines with equivalent products is carried out. Regarding safety and quality of care, the city hall stated that it monitors pediatric ICUs to avoid interrupting services or closing beds. The municipal administration also highlighted the regional role of the Children's Hospital. According to the city hall, the unit provides around 10,000 consultations per month and 71% of patients admitted in the first half of this year came from municipalities in the interior of Maranhão. The City of São Luís also denied that it omits information from the Unified Health System and stated that all deaths registered in the hospital are officially reported to the Mortality Information System. According to municipal management, possible differences between local data and information available in federal public systems are caused by delays in processing and updating the national database. Contrary to what the complaint investigated by the Public Ministry points out, the city hall reported that there was no significant increase in the number of deaths at the Children's Hospital. According to the municipality, there was a variation of 4.5% between 2024 and 2025. The number of deaths increased from 112 to 117 in the period. The municipal management also stated that the ICU professional staff fully meets the requirements of the National Health Surveillance Agency, Anvisa. The city hall also reinforced that there are no official records of widespread shortages and that the supply of hospital materials follows continuous planning. Contract with IBMED Regarding the contracting of the Brazilian Institute of Medical Services, IBMED, the City of São Luís stated that the tender and the contract strictly comply with the legislation. The municipality also declared that the State Court of Auditors denied the requests for suspension of the contract and archived the representations presented against the municipal administration. Regional Council of Medicine The Regional Council of Medicine reported that it monitors the situation of the pediatric ICUs at Hospital da Criança. According to the agency, the objective is to guarantee the safety of care provided to patients and the working conditions of doctors. The council stated that it acts in accordance with the legislation and that it will take appropriate measures if irregularities are identified. Federal Public Ministry The Federal Public Ministry informed that it received the complaint about the situation at the Children's Hospital. The case will be analyzed by a public prosecutor, who will evaluate the adoption of the necessary measures to investigate the facts. Ministry of Health The Ministry of Health reported that it is already investigating the complaints sent to the SUS Ombudsman's Office about the deaths registered at the Hospital da Criança, in São Luís. A team from the National Audit Department of the Unified Health System, DenaSUS, was sent to the unit to analyze the situation in the pediatric ICUs and verify the information presented in the complaints.