Pequeno Príncipe Hospital dedicates a large part of its capacity to care for patients covered by the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS, in Portuguese). As a philanthropic institution since its foundation in 1919, Pequeno Príncipe goes to great lengths to offer the best assistance possible for all children, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The option for this type of care, therefore, is an institutional choice based on compassion and the belief that all children have the right to qualified care, which allows them to have quality of life and health to develop fully. However, this service generates many challenges from a financial point of view, as SUS remuneration values are quite out of date. In 2023, for every US$ 20 spent on Brazilian Public Health System patients, the Hospital received US$ 11.38, which represents a shortage of 43%.

In addition to the lack of adjustment, the SUS fee table was created based on medicine practiced in the 1980s, when this public policy was designed. Even though new medications and procedures are added to the SUS list every year, the pace of these updates does not keep up with the evolution of medicine, which is increasingly precise, but more expensive. This lag in the composition and values of the Brazilian Public Health System fee table – added to the rise in healthcare costs in the post-pandemic period and the crisis in the supplementary system (health plans), which has increased the number of disallowances (billings not received or declined) and extended the payment time to service-providing hospitals – intensified Pequeno Príncipe’s financial challenge. The assistance shortage in 2023 was approximately US$ 14.2 million.

To face these challenges, the institution counts on the fundamental support of society. In 2023, for example, the use of raised resources represented around 20% of total revenue, minimizing the negative performance. Click here and learn more in the main article of 2024 April edition of Pequeno Príncipe News.

In this newsletter edition, you will also check the articles below. Click on the links to read the full length texts.

• In 2023, Pequeno Príncipe assisted 745 children and adolescents who were victims of violence. This number is 14% higher than that recorded in the previous year. Sexual abuse leads this sad ranking: 435 children and adolescents were treated on suspicion of this type of violence, the youngest being a baby just 4 months old. Violence against children and adolescents has some common characteristics in any region, country or social class in which it occurs. Home is the place where it occurs most. And the culprits, in the vast majority of cases, are people who are close to and trusted by the victim. Access to read more.
• Donors can leave assets to Pequeno Príncipe by means of their last will and testament. In Brazil, this modality is still not very widespread, but in countries such as the United States, Germany and Spain it is already consolidated. Through the Will for Life, Pequeno Príncipe is open to receiving donations of properties, cars, valuable items, money, financial investments, investments, and life insurance, for example. Learn more about this new donation modality.