SUS patients were charged for surgeries in RS; doctors said they could die Two doctors and a secretary are being investigated on suspicion of pressuring patients from the Unified Health System (SUS) to pay for procedures in Crissiumal, in the Northwest of Rio Grande do Sul. According to the investigations, the professionals convinced the victims that the surgeries were urgent. Family members report hearing that they could die if they did not undergo the procedure. One of those investigated is doctor Edmundo Berni Reátegui. A family member says that he demanded R$8,000 during a colonoscopy exam carried out by the SUS. ? Access the g1 RS channel on WhatsApp "He said there was something else, it looked like a lump, but he didn't say what it was. He said it could block her intestine and that she could even die," he says. The doctor stated that a second procedure would be necessary, but that it would be necessary to pay for it to be carried out. "And, if I don't take it out today, he said: 'There's no way to take it out anymore. Just opening her belly again and everything'. So I said: 'No, if we have to take it out, let's take it out then, right?'. Then I asked for the price: 'So, how much was it?'. Then he asked me for 8 thousand, right", he adds. Another patient reported having experienced the same situation with the professional. "The doctor. Then he said I had to do it urgently, because my life was at risk, right. I had to do it urgently", he states. The Crissiumal Civil Police investigated the cases and forwarded the first five inquiries to the Judiciary in March. After the investigations were released, new victims filed a police report. "Several people came to us after the first cases and they had no idea that they had been victims of a crime", explains delegate William Garcez. The Public Ministry (MP) analyzed the investigations and filed a complaint against Edmundo Reátegui. The court ordered precautionary measures. Prosecutor Ronaldo Arbo confirmed the determinations, which included removal from activities and electronic monitoring. An injunction in a habeas corpus filed by the doctor's defense, however, revoked the use of the electronic ankle bracelet. He remains unable to access the SUS. Edmundo Reátegui is already facing legal proceedings in the District of Encantado, in the Vales region, for the same type of complaint. He was convicted of the crime of concussion, which is the act of demanding an undue advantage. The defense filed an appeal with the State Court of Justice. The clinic secretary was also denounced by the MP for involvement in the events. According to the investigation, she helped put psychological pressure on patients and their families. "What was learned from this very situation was that it embarrassed patients in that fragile situation to accept the immediate performance of the service privately", explains the prosecutor. A patient was convinced by the employee to perform the surgery at the clinic, privately, instead of using the public system. “I was called by the SUS. I would have had my appointment the day before the surgery, scheduled privately, so it could have been done by the SUS.” A family member of a patient recalls the secretary's approach. "'Ah, because you had to do it, because if it were my son I would do it straight away, because as you have already lost a family member, this is something we don't expect, because it could turn into cancer' and I don't know what, 'and we can recover the money'", he highlights. As investigations progressed, a second doctor, identified as Lucas Dickel Canova, was indicted by the Civil Police on suspicion of committing the same irregularities. "When the person came to perform that procedure, they created an emergency scenario, invented a supposed urgency and that urgent surgery should be performed and then charge the amount", details delegate Garcez. A patient treated by Lucas Canova received an urgent diagnosis, but did not give in to pressure. He returned to the health center, asked to take the exam elsewhere and was surprised with a different report. "Based on his position, it would have to be faster, you know, urgent. He even told me: 'Approximately 30 days you have to remove it'. But then he said that, to remove it, there would be a cost", he comments. “And then the doctor who did the exam for me ended up telling me that there was no need,” he adds. The doctors' lawyer stated that he has not yet had full access to the complaints against Edmundo and the investigations against Lucas. The defense claims that the professionals' conduct is legitimate and that they did not commit irregularities. The clinic secretary does not have a lawyer and could not be reached to comment on the case. Doctors are investigated for charging for surgeries on SUS patients Reproduction/RBS TV VIDEOS: Everything about RS