JUST SHAMEFUL

It's absolutely shameful how Brazilians must fight tooth and nail for what is their birthright, something that the government of this country is OBLIGATED to provide them. It never ceases to amaze me just how the government ignores them and in the end just slaps them in the face in most cases.

Such is the case of tiny Sofia Gonçalves de Lacerda who suffers from Berdon Syndrome and urgently requires a multiple organ transplant not available here in Brazil. The family has been fighting for several months to have the Brazilian Health Ministry pay for the much-needed surgery in the United States of America, where a Brazilian doctor has promised that the operation can be done there and that despite the childs tender age and low weight that the chances of a successful outcome are great. The operation, all told, there will cost about US $1 million. Multiple organ transplants here in Brazil which are rare indeed and usually only done on adults have always resulted in the death of the patient within a very short time following surgery. The last was only a few months ago and the patient survived only two days.

Regardless of the Constitutional obligation, the Ministry of Health has steadfastly refused to cover the costs of transportation and surgery in the USA. Even when a Federal Court judge ruled in favor of the family's petition for a Court Order which compelled the Ministry to pay these costs they still refused to obey the Court Order.

I'm happy to say that when an appeal launched by the Ministry was rejected and there still was no compliance, (the judge) Desembargador Marcos Moraes issued an Arrest Warrant for the Minister of Health, Arthur Chioro for failure to comply with an Order of the Court. Since the issue of the warrant the Minister has backed down and the government has stated that the child will now be transported to the USA and receive the surgery at the expense of the Ministry, something that should be AUTOMATIC. It's incredible what people have to go through in this country.

Funny how this government has money to burn when it comes to anything to do with the FIFA World Cup, but when it comes to saving the life of an infant they couldn't give a tinker's damn. Truly shameful.

Good luck and God's Speed Sofia, we're all praying that all goes well with your surgery and that you are soon healthy and back home once again.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, EB Experts Team