Patients undergoing dialysis treatment who live in Araguatense, in Pico do Papagayo, are asking the municipal health department to provide cost assistance through out-of-home treatment (TFD). TFD is a cost assistance offered to patients treated in the public network or through an agreement/contractor with SUS who need treatment outside their homes, with a guarantee of service in the reference municipality.
Currently, 11 patients with chronic kidney disease from Araguatins need to travel to Imperatriz-MA, three times a week, to undergo treatment. The group claims that the lack of adequate assistance from the Secretariat exposes patients to risky conditions.
One of the problems highlighted by the group was the lack of suitable means of transportation. According to them, the vehicle has persistent defects, and only last week, after criticism became public, the Secretariat provided a vehicle, but it is still inadequate.
Furthermore, patients report that the absence of PDT assistance makes the situation difficult, as medications and food are needed after dialysis sessions. In overnight emergencies, roadside abandonment is a heartbreaking reality.
TFD is very important for these patients, because it ensures that they receive the necessary treatment, even if they are far from home. Furthermore, financial assistance can help cover the costs of medications and food, which are necessary after dialysis sessions.
The City Council’s Communications Department issued a memorandum on behalf of Municipal Health Minister Roy Matos refuting the patients’ statements. look:
I invite anyone to see the status of our dialysis cars. We never miss a day of seeing these patients. By law, dialysis patients in another state, in this case Imperatriz-MA, and out-of-home treatment are the responsibility of the state of Tocantins and we serve everyone. There are patients with a SUS card from Maranhão.
We have already asked the state of Tocantins to investigate the situation.
We have a rented minibus and a municipal truck to do this transportation.
In a meeting at the Public Defender’s Office, they told us that if we submitted the ticket, they would have already been helped and we would have provided transportation, at a cost of more than R$50,000 per month, as the federal government transferred R$6.2,000 per month. To make TFD, we paid over 10k a month for tickets in diamonds. Therefore, the municipality did not miss a single day to help these patients.
Municipal Health Secretary – Rui Matos
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