Coronavirus

Private health agency to intervene in Prevent Senior

prevent senior ANS Chairman Paulo Rebello Filho arrives at the Senate for his deposition in front of the Covid hearings. Photo: Edilson Rodrigues/SF/CC-BY 4.0
ANS Chairman Paulo Rebello Filho arrives at the Senate for his deposition in front of the Covid hearings. Photo: Edilson Rodrigues/SF/CC-BY 4.0

Brazil’s private health regulatory agency (ANS) will establish a special “technical management” regime in HMO Prevent Senior. ANS chairman Paulo Rebello Filho announced the measure while providing his deposition to the Senate’s Covid inquiry.

According to Mr. Rebello, the special regime will be enacted within 15 days to investigate Prevent Senior’s use of experimental treatments on Covid patients using unproven drugs. The trial participants were used as guinea pigs, say many medical staffers who ended up fired from the company’s hospitals.

“The legislation expressly prohibits any experimental treatment. There is no possibility of that happening in private health,” explained Mr. Rebello.

Once the special regime is adopted, a technical director appointed by ANS must monitor Prevent Senior’s work. If any “administrative abnormalities” are found, the agency could request the company’s liquidation. However, according to Mr. Rabello, this option is not on the table for Prevent Senior.