The University Council (Consu) of Unicamp approved, this Thursday (18), in a virtual session, the proposal to submit to the government of the State of São Paulo the project for the autonomization of the health area which foresees the academic expansion of the University.
The meeting was held remotely due to consecutive intrusions into the Council room, which occurred in the two sessions held on Tuesday (16).
That day, the in-person meeting was interrupted by an intrusion of groups linked to the student movement, representatives of the civil servants' union, and members of social movements. As a result, it was suspended. In the afternoon, a new meeting was held, this time online, which was also interrupted by another intrusion of protesters.
Because of this, the University Rector scheduled a new online meeting for Thursday afternoon – which, once again, was marked by interruptions and protests from opposing groups. Despite this, the proposal to be sent to the government was put to a vote and was ultimately approved by 41 votes in favor, 34 against, and two abstentions.
Rector Paulo Cesar Montagner said that the proposal to make the health sector autonomous is essential for the future of the University. "We have no other option for financing the health sector," he said, shortly before the vote. After the proposal was approved, the council members began discussing the points of the draft project to be sent to the State government for implementation. The adoption of the new system also needs to be approved by the Legislative Assembly of São Paulo (Alesp).
According to Montagner, the draft to be sent to the state government will have six fundamental points. The service will be 100% covered by the SUS (Unified Health System); it guarantees that Unicamp will appoint the directors of the future autonomous entity; it also stipulates that Unicamp's budget cannot be affected; and it defines that the supplementary bill that will regulate the functioning of the new body must guarantee the rights of health workers. The Rector's Office also committed to hiring professors and negotiating with the government the extension of these guarantees to the employees of Funcamp (Unicamp Development Foundation).
The proposal suggests a new management model for the health sector – which would be linked to the State Health Secretariat for budgetary purposes, but would remain connected to the University in the areas of teaching, training of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and professional development for physicians.
Today, Unicamp is responsible for funding the healthcare area. In 2025, the costs of the system are expected to reach approximately R$ 1,1 billion.
According to the plan, the expansion – with the creation of new courses and the opening of new places in the entrance exam – would be guaranteed by the resources that the University would no longer spend on the health sector.
The rector said the proposal is a viable way to restore the University's investment capacity. "As things stand, we can no longer grow," Montagner stated. "This is a decades-long project. A state project. What we want is to build the University's future," the rector explained.
