Project that regulates the salary floor for nursing professionals provides for payments of up to 4,700 reais
“It is up to the government to also present us with a real plan so that we can, in fact, guarantee the implementation of this floor starting this year now”, he completes.
Under the terms of the PLN, the minimum wage will be R$4,700 for nurses, R$3,300 for nursing technicians and R$2,300 for nursing assistants and midwives. The proposal ensures the transfer of public funds for the payment of the minimum wage of nursing professionals in the public and private networks that have a contract that serve at least 60% of the patients of the Unified Health System (SUS).
The project aims to add a new programming category to the Ministry of Health’s budget, within the National Health Fund (FNS) __ which will make it possible to cover expenses related to the national minimum wage for nurses, technicians and nursing assistants, as well as as midwives, as established by Constitutional Amendment 124/2022 and regulated by Law 14,434/2022.
Daniel Menezes, federal counselor of the Federal Council of Nursing, informs that due to the lack of a salary floor for professionals in the sector, there is a great difference between the amounts received among workers.
“Obviously, salaries in the capitals end up being higher, but we have colleagues in states not so far away, nursing professional colleagues, who receive very low wages. There are colleagues who receive minimum wage”, he adds.
Otto Nogami, an economist, explains that “any and all government interference in the formation of prices for the most different goods and services is problematic, as it ends up creating long-term distortions”.
The economist completes by saying that health professionals are worthy of the floor, but the instructions can enable certain operations that are known to work within the limits of their resources.
Jaqueline Ferreira, 47 years old, has been a nurse for 19 years and says that the salary floor for professionals in the area is fair, as nursing has responsibilities in every decision and act committed. And so, working more than 80 hours a week to supplement the salary is exhausting.
“Many of us work two, three shifts to supplement our income, so the minimum wage is of great expectation for our health as well”, he claims.
According to the most recent data on active registrations of the Regional Nursing Councils, Brazil has more than 2 million nurses, nursing technicians and assistants. However, as the count was based on active entries, professionals with more than one entry, whether in the same category or not, were counted more than once. The state of São Paulo is the federative unit that has the most workers in the area. With a total of 246,802 assistants, 303,077 technicians and 170,719 nurses.
What does a nurse do?
Nurses play a key role in supporting and caring for patients in beds and wards, collecting samples for analysis, administering medications, performing treatments and applying dressings. In addition, this professional monitors the quality and validity of equipment and medications used in the treatment of patients and provides instructions on general care after hospital discharge.
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