With staff declining, Himaba's nutrition sector is asking for help

It is necessary to replace the staff of the nutrition sector at the Alzir Bernardino Alves Hospital for Children and Maternity (Himapa), in Vila Velha. The appeal is lodged by a group of civil servants who have lodged a complaint with various state and municipal bodies, such as the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), Court of Auditors (TCE), Vila Velha Health Surveillance and the Ombudsman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Health (Sesa) and the Federation of Health Workers of Espírito Santo (Sindsaúde-ES).

“We are in dire need of what our sector suffers with the management of Acqua,” the complaint said, referring to the current Social Health Organization (OSS) that administers the Himaba, after an urgent intervention last February by Sesa, due to several verified irregularities. In the previous OSS Department, Gnosis Institute. took the situation Minister Nisio Fernandez emphasized that “more individual accountability for OSS administrators is needed.”.

The complaint cites one of Acqua’s directors, Robenilda Dalfor Gonçalves Bertolane, and the coordinator of the multidisciplinary team, Ilma Rocha, as being responsible for implementing OSS’ position of refusing to hire the necessary nutritionists, causing some of those who remain active. They are transferred from the job and act as librarians.

According to the document, the nutrition team had 20 people and today there are thirteen people. “We no longer have nutritionists in this sector at night, only two nutrition technologists who are diverting tasks, namely washing bottles, cups and baby bottles without PPE [Equipamentos de Proteção Individual]to escape the role they could play.”

Of the twenty, one was a day laborer and worked as a Coordinator of the Nutrition and Dietetic Service (SND); Four nutritionists in the hospital clinic, two per shift per day; feeding technicians at night; Four nutritionists in the lactation production process, one in each shift, two in the day and two at night; and nine actarians, of whom two are in production and one is in the cleaning process.

The remaining thirteen are distributed to: Two nutritionists on duty to serve nutrition and diet, with one performance of three positions, as Contract Inspector for the Kitchen Company, as a Senior SND and Lactation Dietitian, and as a Patient Care Component; two technicians at night; Three lactation nutritionists, two per day and one at night; And six lactators, two of them are in production and none of them are in the disinfection and cleaning of soiled utensils, a job that nutritionists and technicians perform in the sector.

The text also highlights the already announced departure of another person from the team as of the 16th, as Acqua no longer allows an agreement that was already in the hospital, allowing staff with two jobs to arrive in Himaba after half an hour, as he left after half an hour of time the official.

The complaints call for a new intervention by the competent authorities, “so that there is the necessary action and correction because the method (to drop us) is not possible,” according to the complainants’ claim, confirming “three reports.” of the diets made here contaminated with fecal coliform bacteria, because we do not have the manpower to continue serving par excellence.”

“We are afraid,” they plead, “because we already had an outbreak of necrotizing enterocolitis and what happened was heartbreaking,” they warned, still echoing the shock it caused. Nearly 30 infants died in less than three months by the end of 2017, a fact reported exclusively by Século Diário and its implications nationwide. He begs, “We ask, with God’s love, that this case be reviewed with the hospital administration, as this is a crime and a lack of respect for professionals.”