Project seeks to require justification for changes in patient priority in Ponta Grossa

Changes in the priority of patient care in the public health network of Ponta Grossa may have to be justified and registered in its own system. The requirement is foreseen in Bill No. 352/2026, authored by the councilor Joce Canto, who entered the Câmara Municipal on Thursday (15). The proposal establishes criteria for the risk classification, respect for legal priorities and monitoring of the decisions of the Central Regulator.

The text covers public and private establishments that provide services to the Unified Health System (SUS) in the municipality. By design, the severity of the clinical picture, the urgency, the emergency and the need for assistance should guide the definition of care. No administrative priority or queue organization can prevent or delay care for a patient in need of more urgent care.

Amendments must be technically substantiated

One of the main points of the proposal is the obligation to document changes made by the Regulatory Office in the risk classification, in the care priority or in the clinical indication initially assigned by the professional responsible for the care. The registration must include date and time, identification of the professional who made the decision, initial classification, priority defined by the regulation and technical justification for the change.

The clinical elements considered and the protocol used, where applicable, should also be included. This information will integrate the patient’s history of care and will be available for audits, supervision and eventual determination of responsibilities, respecting the confidentiality and protection of personal data.

Evaluation should consider each patient

The project also provides that patients with the same risk classification may receive different priorities when there is clinical justification. The evaluation should consider factors such as symptoms, examinations, history of diseases and possibility of aggravation in case of delay. On the other hand, family history, genetic predisposition, age group or isolated diagnosis will not guarantee automatic priority.

When there is equivalence of urgency, gravity and care need, the text determines the observance of legal priorities, mentioning children and adolescents, people with disabilities and elderly people, including the special priority for those over 80 years.

Autonomy of professionals

In the justification, Joce Canto argues that the registration of decisions can increase transparency, facilitate audits and strengthen patient safety. The councillor also states that the proposal preserves the autonomy of health professionals and the attributions of the Central Regulatory Office.

Also read: Is there a risk of explosion? What is known about suspected gas in high school of Ponta Grossa

The document presented is a bill and does not yet establish a rule in force. The text provides that, if it becomes law, the measure becomes effective on the date of its publication.