The waiting list for exams, specialized consultations and surgeries is one of the main public health challenges in Minas Gerais.
The size of this problem, however, is unknown – the state itself does not have information on how many patients are currently in line for elective procedures.
According to the State Department of Health (SES-MG), organizing the wait is the responsibility of the municipalities, and it is up to the department to act "in technical support, coordination and planning of public health policies".
Whoever takes over the government in 2027 will still have to face another issue: the inequality of access to health services between different regions of MG. In many cases, patients from the interior have to travel long distances to undergo treatment in the capital of Minas Gerais.
The candidates for Palácio Tiradentes propose different approaches to reduce the health queue and face the so-called "ambulance tourism". g1 found out what each of them proposes in the plans presented to the Electoral Court.
In the coming weeks, g1 will also publish, always on Saturdays, reports on the candidates' proposals for topics related to the environment and mobility. The first report in the series dealt with combating femicides and criminal factions. The second, on public debt and tax exemptions.
See each candidate's plan below, in alphabetical order:
Alexandre Kalil (PDT)
Alexandre Kalil's (PDT) government plan advocates regional planning and expanding service capacity to address health queues. Among the proposals are the reorganization of State Specialized Care Centers (CEAE) and partnerships with philanthropic and university hospitals.
The document proposes the structuring of "regionalized lines" for consultations, exams and procedures with greater demand, with queue indicators, waiting time and installed capacity. Telehealth will also be used to facilitate access to specialists.
To reduce bottlenecks in access to healthcare in the interior, Kalil proposes a regional healthcare organization. The idea is that each macro-region has integrated planning, with a "clear definition" of the services that need to be available. The location of ambulance bases must be permanently assessed.
The candidate recognizes that regionalizing services will not eliminate the need for patients to travel and, therefore, proposes strengthening the state's Out-of-Home Treatment (TF) policy, considering transportation, the need for a companion and other situations.
Ben Mendes (Mission)
Ben Mendes (Mission) argues that patients must necessarily be monitored by primary care to have access to specialized services.
The candidate proposes the use of telemedicine for emergency cases and also for consultations with specialists. He suggests that all hospitalization requests be analyzed by these professionals, to avoid the formation of "long queues".
Ben Mendes defends the creation of specialty hubs. The idea is that each region of the state is encouraged, through partnered public or private hospitals, to resolve medium and high complexity situations locally, thus avoiding long journeys.
The candidate also presents as goals the optimization of the Minas Gerais State Hospital Foundation (Fhemig) and the construction of regional hospitals in the north of the state and in Jequitinhonha.
Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans)
Cleitinho Azevedo (Republicans) proposes a "Minas Gerais table of strategic procedures" with the aim of supplementing federal funding for exams, specialized consultations and elective surgeries and, thus, reducing patient waiting times.
The candidate also defends the strengthening of primary health care, through support to municipalities for the construction, expansion and modernization of Basic Health Units (UBSs).
To avoid the displacement of patients, the government plan talks about implementing updated clinical protocols and rapid exams, in addition to expanding telehealth.
Flávio Roscoe (PL)
Flávio Roscoe's (PL) government plan says that the first step to combat inequality in access to healthcare is the publication, by macro-region, of the average waiting time for elective surgeries and exams.
The document also talks about expanding the coverage of primary health care in the North of Minas, Jequitinhonha and Vale do Mucuri.
Furthermore, the candidate proposes to create a public panel, accessible via application, to consult the elective surgery queue per hospital in real time.
Gabriel (MDB)
Candidate Gabriel (MDB) proposes the creation of regional task forces, with clinical and territorial criteria, to reduce waiting lists for specialized and medium-complexity procedures. He advocates more transparency about information.
The government plan talks about investing in primary care and also in telemedicine as an instrument of access, not an "indiscriminate replacement" of in-person care.
The document foresees prioritizing the regional organization of service before creating new physical structures. The idea is to strengthen regionalization and health consortia, with state coordination of flows and access.
Henrique Areas (PCO)
Henrique Areas (PCO) proposes more funds for public health, with no spending limit, and the implementation of an emergency plan for the construction of hospitals and health posts.
The candidate also defends the Mais Médicos program and the immediate validation of the diplomas of all foreign doctors residing in the country, in addition to the opening of medical courses without entrance exams in public universities to make up for the lack of professionals.
Indira Xavier (UP)
Candidate Indira Xavier (UP) defends investments in the Unified Health System (SUS) and the strengthening of primary care through technical support and financial contributions from the state.
She also talks about ensuring the functioning of public health throughout the state, so that care includes indigenous peoples and quilombola communities, in rural and urban areas.
Mateus Simões (PSD)
Current governor of Minas Gerais and candidate for re-election, Mateus Simões (PSD) recognizes in the government plan that the state still faces regional inequality in access to specialized care, difficulty in retaining professionals in the interior and damped demand for elective procedures.
He talks about accelerating and expanding the reduction in waiting times for surgeries and exams, but does not detail how he intends to achieve this result.
The document advocates the strengthening of primary care as the main instrument for health promotion and disease prevention, in conjunction with municipalities.
It also proposes resources such as telehealth and remote diagnosis to increase the population's access to health services.
Patrus Ananias (PT)
The government plan of Patrus Ananias (PT) proposes to strengthen primary care as the structuring axis of the SUS, through, for example, expanding the coverage of the Family Health strategy and integrating basic care with mental health, pharmaceutical assistance and specialized networks.
The document advocates expanding the regional capacity for specialized care, through investments in regional hospitals and intermunicipal health consortia, to reduce waiting times for consultations, exams and surgeries.
Patrus proposes the restructuring of Fhemig and the expansion of the entity's operations in the interior, in addition to improving the Operations Center for State Regulation (Core). He advocates that regulation be regionalized, integrated and transparent, with the participation of municipalities and health services, public priority criteria and updated information on queues and bed availability.
The candidate also talks about recovering the decision-making capacity of the health regions, in order to strengthen the regional management of the SUS and avoid the concentration of regulation of consultations, exams and hospitalizations in Belo Horizonte.
Rafael Duda (PSTU)
Candidate Rafael Duda (PSTU) proposes improvements to the structure of Fhemig, including the hiring of professionals through a public competition, and the expansion of urgency and emergency units.
He defends the expansion of policies to combat chronic diseases and health for the elderly, in addition to the implementation of popular councils, so that workers and users control the provision of state health services.
Rafael Duda's government plan also talks about expanding the SUS physical network in Minas Gerais.
Túlio Lopes (PCB)
Túlio Lopes (PCB) defends the expansion of basic care, through the opening of posts, the strengthening of Family Health and the training of community agents.
He proposes the reorganization of health regions based on the "real flow" of the population and free intercity transport to carry out procedures and treatments.
