Between August 2015 and January 2016, a doctor from Chapeco, Santa Catarina west, was convicted 122 times for asking for examinations and referrals of medication. The crime was recorded when she worked at the municipal health center.

The Chapeco doctor would overprescribe medication and ask for tests for family members. – Photo: Freepik/Disclosure/ND

The woman was sentenced to 3 years 10 months and 20 days in prison for embezzlement. But the sentence has been changed, and she will have to perform community service for a period equal to the sentence imposed.

In addition, the doctor must be paid an amount equal to 20 minimum wages. The decision is taken by the 1st Criminal Court of Chapeco. Crimes would be committed in the interests of family members.

A doctor from Chapeko worked at the Health Center

According to the complaint, the worker asked the nurse of one of the Family Health Centers (FHCs) where she worked to register her husband, mother-in-law, parents and herself, although none of them lived in a locality covered by the FSC.

Due to the compilation of fake medical records, a Chapeco doctor prescribed excessive amounts of drugs and examination requests that were paid for with public money, and also compromised the stocks of other users of the system in areas where seizures were reported.

According to witnesses, within three days, on behalf of the father, enough medicines were seized for treatment for six months. However, he resided in Minas Gerais. The mother-in-law, another beneficiary of the action, lived in Rio Grande do Sul.

From that moment, a check began, during which the cases of the family members of the accused were studied in the same medical center where she worked. The beneficiaries lived in places not connected with the first-aid post.

GM/MS regulation no. 2,488/2011, National Primary Health Care Policy, specifies that family health centers should care for people living in their area of ​​operation, as evidenced by proof of residence documents and home visits made by health agents.

“It is too obvious that in the reality of our country, public resources are insufficient to guarantee effective universal access. […] It is unacceptable that the accused does not know and ignore such a scenario, even unacceptable from an ethical point of view, given her remuneration, which appropriates the most needy segments of the population due to the diversion of drugs in her favor and in favor of her family members. “, – the magistrate took into account in his decision.

The amount related to illegally seized drugs was returned to the state treasury throughout the process. This contributed to the transformation of the prison into a point of service.

The identity of the professional was not released to the judiciary. ABOUT no data+ keeps the space open for the doctor if he wants to express his opinion about the case.