The rector of Unicamp, Professor Paulo Cesar Montagner, decided to schedule for this Thursday (18), starting at 15 pm, remotely, the continuation of the 5th extraordinary meeting of the University Council (Consu), which was interrupted twice by protesters on Tuesday (16). At the meeting, the councilors will vote on the approval of the submission, to the government of the State of São Paulo, of the proposal for the autonomous nature of the health area and the academic expansion of the University.
The rector says it is necessary to finish the session, which began on Tuesday morning and was interrupted about an hour and a half later when the University Council room was invaded by members of the student community, representatives of the Unicamp Workers' Union (STU), and members of social movements. The meeting resumed in the afternoon and, again, had to be suspended due to another episode of invasion.
“We decided to resume the meeting as a way to preserve the institutional integrity of the University,” said the rector. “And in order for this institutional integrity to be maintained, it is necessary that we resume this meeting,” he added.
Montagner explains the decision to hold an online meeting. "Given the circumstances, with the rooms being broken into twice, we were forced to hold a remote meeting, even to ensure people's safety," he explained.
Support
The project proposed by Unicamp received support from six former directors of the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) at Unicamp. In a letter addressed to the congregation and the University Council, the former directors acknowledge that the FCM has a qualified hospital complex, but it is still insufficient to fully meet the demands of the region's population.
"In this context, the possibility of transforming the Unicamp hospital complex into an autonomous entity represents a unique opportunity that should not be missed," they recommend.
"It is, rather, about the institutional path that currently allows us to project the necessary growth in the health sector and, at the same time, expand the development capacity of Unicamp itself as a leading public university."
(See below for the full text of the letter from the former directors)
Letter from the former directors of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of
Unicamp addressed to the congregation and the University Council
The link between large medical schools and high-capacity hospital complexes is a structuring element of health education. It is widely recognized that excellence in undergraduate and residency medical education depends inextricably on the existence of large hospitals with a diversity of cases and high complexity of care. The Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM) at Unicamp has a qualified hospital complex, but it is still insufficient to fully meet the demands of the region's population.
In this context, the possibility of transforming the Unicamp hospital complex into an autonomous entity represents a unique opportunity that should not be wasted. This opportunity only materializes when there is a convergence of interests between the Faculty of Medical Sciences (FCM), the University Rectorate, the State Health Secretariat, and the State Government—a rare situation not seen in the last 15 years.
While becoming an autonomous institution does not represent an administrative solution capable of resolving all existing challenges on its own, it also does not imply any form of privatization or loss of university autonomy. Rather, it is the institutional path that currently allows for the necessary growth of the health sector and, simultaneously, expands the development capacity of Unicamp itself as a leading public university.
We acknowledge that, at this time, it is not possible to have a draft of the autonomous agency's budget that completely eliminates any uncertainties. The situation is complex, and we are concerned about the proper estimation of centralized expenses, such as those related to public utilities, food subsidies, meals and health insurance, food and transportation, expenses for Dedic and daycare centers, human resources dedicated to healthcare activities in the DGA, DGRH and DEAS, the city hall, expenses for warehouses, among others. All expenses not included in the annually approved budget allocated to the Health Area have been implemented each year. Each year, additional budget revisions of between R$ 35 million and R$ 100 million have been implemented, highlighting the underestimated cost of the health area by the University. Furthermore, we are concerned about the labor and salary discrepancies among employees governed by the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws), Paepes (Special Public Service Employee Assistance Program), those contracted as legal entities, and Funcamp (Municipal Foundation for Public Health) employees, who have significantly lower salaries. These will be compounded by the disparities between those hired by the State Health Secretariat, who have varying salary profiles.
However, this is a model that is already well-established and successful in other São Paulo state universities, such as USP and Unesp, without compromising academic autonomy, institutional management, or the university's mission. Budgetary sustainability and the expansion of hiring capacity will depend not only on the administrative model, but also on the continuous effort of the entire university community in defending and strengthening public health.
Fernando Ferreira Costa
Director from 1994 to 1998
Mário José Abdalla Saad
Director from 1998 to 2002 and from 2010 to 2014
Lilian Tereza L. Costallat
Director from 2002 to 2006
José Antônio R. Gontijo
Director from 2006 to 2010
Ivan F Contrera Toro
Director from 2014 to 2018
Luiz Carlos Zeferino
Director from 2018 to 2022
Campinas, December 12, 2025.
