As the BRB loses 2.5 billion reais, the health of the DF collapses due to lack of resources
Daily agenda, writing
The confirmation that Banco de Brasília (BRB) irreversibly lost 2.5 billion reais in investments in the so-called “Master” reveals more than a financial error: it reveals a political choice with direct impacts on the lives of the population of the Federal District.
While billions evaporate in the unsuccessful operations of public banks, hospitals, PSUs and basic health units face severe budget cuts and a system on the verge of collapse.
In a statement to the Federal Police, the former president of the BRB admitted that the resources invested will not be recovered. This is a value greater than double everything that the Federal District government withdrew from health in 2025 under the argument of “fiscal balance”.
Health was the main target of the contingency
In June 2025, Governor Ibaneis Rocha signed a decree limiting the DF budget to approximately 1 billion reais. Of this total, BRL 415.9 million was withdrawn exclusively from the Health Fund, representing more than 40% of the entire budget block.
The decision directly affected an already overloaded network, with a lack of professionals, medicines and beds.
Data from the DF Public Prosecutor’s Office indicates a deficit of 941 extra beds, a situation that forces patients to stay in UPAs for up to 20 days, while the recommended duration is a maximum of 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the government has remained silent on the biggest financial loss in the history of the BRB.
Double standards
The contradiction is obvious. To justify budget cuts in the health sector, the official discourse calls for budgetary responsibility.
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But the same responsibility does not seem to have been applied when 2.5 billion reais were spent on an investment that today turns out to be a loss without return.
The BRB, a public bank whose institutional function is to promote regional development, finance public policies and strengthen the local economy, has become the symbol of reckless management.
The resources that would have made it possible to finance hospitals, hire professionals and reduce queues were invested in an operation now described as wasted.
A political choice, not an inevitability
If the Federal District had maintained the historic percentage of investment in health, the region would have approximately 4 billion additional reais. This amount would be sufficient to transform the reality of the public system. Nevertheless, the government’s option was to restrict precisely the most sensitive sector, the one which serves the most vulnerable population.
It is not a lack of money, but a political priority.
The question that won’t go away
Faced with this scenario, indignation is growing among health professionals, patients and control organizations.
The central question remains unanswered:
Who authorized the loss of 2.5 billion reais in the BRB, but decided to cut 415 million reais in public health?
Even if this response does not arrive, the damage is twofold: financial for public coffers and human for those who depend on the SUS in the Federal District.
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