São Paulo – The Syrian-Lebanese Hospital will be responsible for management of two health units in the state of São Paulo. The private organisation will manage Grajaú General Hospital and the Specialty Medical Outpatient Clinic in Interlagos, both in the south zone of the city of São Paulo. The agreement for the partnership was signed on Friday (27), between the Syrian-Lebanese and the São Paulo State Health Secretariat.
In 1998, the government of the state of São Paulo implemented a management model called Social Health Organisation (OSS). This new model regulated the partnership between the state and philanthropic organisations for the management of public health units. It was within this system that the agreement was signed with the Social Responsibility Institute of the Syrian-Lebanese Hospital.
The contract between the Syrian and the Health Secretariat should last five years, and may be renewed. During this period, the Syrian-Lebanese should receive over R$ 600 million (US$ 342 million) to promote management of the hospital and of state-run outpatient clinics.
The budgets of both units were increased in 2012. In Grajaú hospital, the increase was 16.7%, to R$ 89 million (US$ 51 million) to R$ 103.8 million (US$ 59 million). At the Interlagos unit, the growth was 11.5%, rising from R$ 10.4 million (US$ 5.9 million) to R$ 11.6 million (US$ 6.6 million). According to information by the state secretariat, both units provide services through the Single Health System (SUS) to a population of two million inhabitants who live in a region that goes from the Capela do Socorro to Parelheiros neighbourhoods.
The Health Secretariat also added, in a press statement, that, according to the contract, Grajaú General Hospital should have 14,496 admittances and 288,000 emergency room assistances in the first year. Furthermore, at least 1,200 ultrasound tests should be made in 2012. Contracts are flexible and adjusted according to demand.
At the Interlagos unit, the contract forecasts 102.960 outpatient appointments a year in the 20 specialty areas offered, 50,088 non-medical assistances, 1,620 surgeries and 6,576 radiology, endoscopy and specialty diagnoses.
“We are going to manage the Grajaú and [Interlagos] units with funds granted by the state. We will come in with our experience in management and in the medical area. We are going to take what we have accumulated in years of practice in the areas of education and research to contribute to the development of these units,” said Sergio Zanetta, Philanthropy director at the Syrian-Lebanese, in an interview to ANBA. Zanetta participated in the signing of an agreement with the state health secretary, Giovanni Guido Cerri, and with São Paulo state governor Geraldo Alckmin.
Among the actions to be promoted during the Syrian Hospital’s management are joint technical meetings with medical teams, courses to the public sector doctors at the Hospital’s teaching institutions, and also terms by the hospitals doctors, nurses and residents to operate in Grajaú and Interlagos, as well as taking research activities currently developed in the private hospital to public units. “Teaching and research activities together keep professionals stimulated. We want to keep these talents,” said the doctor.
To Zanetta, managing public health units is a way for the Syrian Lebanese to return the support it has received from society. “We want to contribute to improve the Single Health System. It is a way of returning to the Brazilian society a little of what we have received over the years,” he said.
This is the first time that the Syrian manages São Paulo state owned health units, but it already runs the Menino Jesus municipal hospital, two other general units and Outpatient Medical Assistance (AMA) units of the city of São Paulo, as well as running nine family health units in Bela Vista neighbourhood, where it is headquartered. On Friday (27), the Syrian Lebanese presented to the state government a proposal for management of Lucy Montoro Rehabilitation Unit, in Mogi Mirim
*Tradução de Mark Ament
