It is well known that the Brazilian health scenario is chaotic. Overrexploitation, cases of coronelismo, salary delays, remuneration below the floor and lack of rights are among some of the problems that affect the category. In Amazonas, professionals in the area have denounced a truly calamitous scenario. “There are professionals, professionals of all categories, being outsourced, who are months without receiving, up to 7 months, this is absurd. So they are already threatening to take security, not go, so it will become even worse chaos. Water, capacity, overload on employees, employees being coerced, threatened, morally harassed. And it is not only at the 28 de Agosto institution, it is in all institutions, ”said Mauro Bastos, leader of the Todos for Health Movement, to the AND Em manaus.
Because of these serious problems, health workers are organizing for a major demonstration in front of the Federal Public Prosecution Service, to be held at 9 am on February 28.
Check out the full interview below:
AND: Companion, starting this interview, would we like to know in general how you evaluate the health scenario in the state of Amazonas in recent years?
Mauro: Well, health in the state of Amazonas is as everyone is seeing there, being publicized in all media and posting, right? (…) There are professionals, professionals of all categories, being outsourced, who are without receiving, up to 7 months, this is absurd. So they are already threatening to take security, not go, so it will become even worse chaos. Water, capacity, overload on employees, employees being coerced, threatened, morally harassed. And it is not only at the 28th of August institution, it is in all institutions.
It's a real chaos. Public health in the state of Amazonas is scrapped. It is becoming a very serious thing and no one solves anything. No one solves anything. The Secretary of Health does not solve, the governor does not solve, the administrations they put within these units, by the way, everyone fell by parachutes, most have fallen inside with sponsoring, and do only what the system is sending, ready.
AND: We see that health workers in the Amazon has a broad history of mobilization, having made major strikes and demonstrations during the last years. In this context, how did the construction of the all -health movement occur?
Mauro: This started long before this current scenario, right? This started there in 2019, where Samu's fellow Dennis raised the flag, right? And I raised another flag.
So it was in the time of the pandemic where we were overwhelmed, they did not make a decision. The current management did not make a decision to hire people. So we started to have many misconduct. And we started to raise flag, each in a unit. I went to 28 [August], Denis was at Samu, Paulo there for the Juveni, and we were uniting this strength. Approaching, approaching, because we charged unions, we charged advice to work for professionals, but nothing was done.
So it started there. In early 2019, all this kind of movement. Then this movement was founded, all out of health.
AND: And since we talk about it, what is the position of the movement with regard to traditional union entities in the category?
Mauro: Well, we always call them to work with us, understand? I mean, we are the workers, they are the union. But in no way do they make themselves available, claiming whenever they have the authority to do this and they won't do it.
They won't do it for the way: they won't go against the government, get it? They do not go against the government. When in reality they should go to the worker. So they practically put themselves with the government, receiving order, seeing that neglect is there.
And today the Nursing Council, which in this case is my branch, the Denis branch, the Nursing Council is willing to accompany us, even will be there with us on the day of the demonstration, but no union will be there. If you're there, it's, how can I say, to “show up,” say they are doing, they are following, but at all. So much so that we send him an invitation for them to attend, they never attend.
AND: We also know that Amazonas has a terrible history of persecution of workers leaders. Did the companions of the organization suffer any retaliation from companies or the government itself?
Mauro: Well, there is always persecution. I can report three facts. Our colleague here, Frank, was persecuted, according to his words, was chased in João Lúcio, if I am not mistaken, being mobilizing ahead of the mobilizations, taking the lead to request improvement of conditions for employees and even for the population, which depends on the system.
Companion Denis, he has persecuted, persecuted to this day. They have already released several things about his personal life, which has been proven yet and is in justice. He can say that himself, understand?
And to me, this is where the direction of the hospital, because I have shown the truth to the population [about the treatment of patients], punished me, returning me to the secretariat. The secretary inside had the director's friend, the director, and as he had superiority to lease me where he wanted, he retained me in a far away from my residence. Since in my financial situation, I have no financial conditions to be moving around every day.
And as a form of retaliation, I made a bank re -registration, where I had not received in December. And as a form of retaliation, when I did my re -registration, they filed my re -registration in January so I didn't receive it again, understand? Just for a way of punishing myself for what I showed. But regardless of this, I will not fail to show the truth to the population. Because it may be the mother or father of anyone who was in that situation there.
AND: Now, when it comes to the general privatization tendency we see in the state, how do workers see this? Do you see a difference in treatment with outsourced workers in the sector before the others?
Mauro: In my view, to privatize health in the state is to give broad power to entrepreneurs. It is to take the responsibility of the state, which has to have the responsibility for the workers, and play in the hands of a businessman, understand? Then every right is over.
So that is, in this case, they raised the hypothesis of privatizing the 28 August. August 28 is a gateway. You can not do that! See Delfina [Aziz]. Delfina is the great white elephant. It's complete of everything, but you only go there if you pass the system to go there. So there is no reason to have a hospital of that size that does not serve the population, overwhelming the other three ready-to-state in the state of Amazonas.
So, and in case of difference, a difference between outsourced before too much, as you expose, in this case the state civil servant, agreed, has a difference in your rights. For example, a nursing professional gives 13 shifts and earns less than a nursing professional who gives 10 shifts. So Susam's maker wins more than outsourced maker. I mean, today a maker costs 7 thousand. 7 thousand reais per month, understand? And even costing this value, they have been four, five, six months without receiving. So, I mean, there is a big difference, you know? There is a great discrimination between one professional and another who actually performs the same function, has the same working weight, understand?
So it's complicated, it's complicated, it's very complicated to privatize health in the state of the Amazon, understand? If there was this general privatization, it would become such a big chaos that it would no longer be resolved.
AND: And during the covid19 pandemic and the total collapse of health in Amazonas, health professionals were the population's defense front line against the virus, where we saw several of them even died as a result of the exhibition. At this time, there was no shortage of politicians to extol workers, but now, years later, how do you see the state's retribution to these professionals?
Mauro: To be honest, at that time of Covid, we were heroes, understand? Today we are humiliated. I mean, we only take it when they need it, after it ends everything back to normal. I mean, they forgot, they forgot.
I was one who made a video in front of 28 [August], a stoppage at that time, in 2019. There came several deputies in my private, wanted me to meet them, why? To take advantage, understand? To take advantage. Only I didn't go. I was excluding one by one. I didn't go because I knew they wanted to take advantage. Because as the video went viral, they wanted to take advantage.
So many of the colleagues died, got it? And colleagues who would almost be buried as indigent. Colleagues who spent 20 years working at an institution that did not have the consideration of sending a crown of flowers even, got it? Colleagues of humble families, unable to buy the coffin at that time here was too expensive, understand? And we had to make little quotinhas to be able to give a decent burial to our colleagues. And the situation of the state, I can tell you that it was totally silent against these professionals, understand? Totally silent, and today we are like this, destroyed, we are persecuted, we are humiliated, we are coerced, we are harassed, we live under pressure, we are working in double, understand? With overcrowded hospitals, without conditions, without inputs, without dressing material, without any things.
And the population revolts against us. We are helping the population, we are preserving the patient's health, we are taking care of the patient, but still they think we are wrong. When in reality it is the state that is being wrong, because the state does not promote health for them, which is their right, is the right to citizen health. Every citizen has the right to health, understand? Now, only it is difficult. So, so, since then the heroes is over, understand? We are today the clowns, in reality. We are clowns. System Clown. Did you understand? This is what happens.
AND: And beyond the act on 28/02, what are the prospects for struggle for the category in the face of this chaotic scenario?
Mauro: This will only end when there is 100%improvement, understand? When everything is inside the axles, it is over. As long as there is a colleague, who is one, going through persecution, coercion, harassment, not receiving, being rioted by managers or even the system, we will always be there to help, understand?
The movement was created not to end. The movement was created to follow no end date. So it is a movement that we can say is infinite, there will be no end. It will always exist. We are still organizing some things so that we can make a thirst, have a movement, have a legal thing within the law that will support us. So that we can't just be in the hands of the unions, the councils, understand? This is how we intend to go.
AND: Companion, we thank the interview a lot and, finally, we would like to say that the newspaper The New Democracy has the honor of placing itself with the just struggle of workers throughout its existence. Would you like to leave a final message for health workers and all other categories that, Brazil, are reading this article?
Mauro: Yes, I want to congratulate all health professionals from Brazil and say that you are true warriors. You who often leave your families, your family members to take care of the beloved sick of others.
This is very beautiful, but I also want to tell my professional colleagues, all health officials who do not accept, do not accept being humiliated, do not accept being coerced or even harassed. Always be in the fight, always charging what your right is.
And we will try to join strength so that we can have better health, better health for the population, better health for the health worker, that today the health worker is sick, is asking for help, but unfortunately our governors do not come with others Eyes, only see yourself. So, my dear ones, we will always be in the fight, we will always look for our achievements, seek what we deserve. And my thanks to everyone.