VIDEOS show dirt and improper storage of organs at Hospital de Base, in Brasília

Employees and former employees of the Hospital de Base, in Brasília, denounce the precarious conditions in the Pathological Anatomy sector, where bodies go for autopsies, organs removed during surgeries and materials collected for analysis.

Videos show dirt, failure to protect workers and improvised containers for storing organs. In one of the images, it is possible to see that the locks on the drawers where the bodies are kept do not close. Inside the structure, a lot of dirt.

Employees also say they need to use expired protective equipment. Last month, a complaint was registered with the GDF ombudsman's office by an employee who said he was a victim of persecution, embarrassment and hostile conduct.

After questioning, the reporter was invited to visit the Pathological Anatomy sector and found a situation different from the images reported. Officials say there was extensive cleaning throughout the morning before the visit.

Other images show the storage location for biological materials, which have already undergone or will undergo biopsy. It is possible to see plastic containers, including ice cream containers.

"We take it from our own home. The butter that we finished using in the pantry goes there, so we can use and store these organs that we receive from the surgical center", said a former employee who preferred to remain anonymous.

The organs that arrive at the sector are donated by families to be used in medical residency. However, according to the former employee, the protocol for how storage should be carried out is not followed.

"There's a fungus, there's still this biological risk," he says.

The Institute for Strategic Health Management of the Federal District (Iges) – which manages the Base Hospital – told the reporter that the images do not reflect how the sector is currently, as there has been a recent change in the management of the sector.

The general manager of the Image Diagnosis Service, Marlucy Mendes Soares, denied that the cleaning carried out at the site was related to the report going to the location. The manager also said that cleaning is periodic and stated that there is no irregularity in the images taken by employees.

"The resolution says that the pot must be closed, identified and the piece must be packed in formaldehyde diluted in water. All the pieces shown in the video were in these conditions."

Marlucy Mendes Soares also stated that the refrigerators undergo regular maintenance and cleaning.