Associação Yanomami cobra investigação sobre medicamentos vencidos encontrados em casa abandonada em Boa Vista

Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY) Vice President Demands Investigation into Expired Medicines Found in Abandoned House

On Thursday (1st), Dário Kopenawa, the vice president of the Hutukara Yanomami Association (HAY), demanded an investigation into expired medicines that were intended for the Yanomami indigenous people but were found by the Civil Police in an abandoned house in the São Francisco neighborhood, in the Northern zone of Boa Vista.

HAY is the most representative association of the Yanomami people. In 2021, the Yanomami Indigenous Land was already facing a healthcare crisis. The lack of medication was the target of two Federal Police operations.

Dário requested that institutions such as the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), the Federal Police (PF), and the Ministry of Health investigate the case and examine the management that was in charge of the Yanomami Indigenous Sanitary District (Dsei-Y) at that time. Dsei-Y is an agency linked to the Ministry of Health and responsible for the distribution of medication.

"It's absurd, these medicines were supposed to be used to treat and save children, to cure the most dangerous diseases. We want the authorities, the Public Ministry, the Federal Police, and other government institutions to conduct a thorough investigation. This money was thrown away and was meant for the Yanomami people, to provide assistance," said the leader.

The contacted MPF and PF, both organizations mentioned by the vice president, have yet to respond.

When approached, the Indigenous Health Secretary (Sesai) of the Ministry of Health expressed their repudiation towards "the disposal of medicines" and stated that the department will collaborate with the investigation, providing all necessary information to the authorities.

"Since the beginning of the current administration, the Ministry of Health has been working to strengthen measures and actions to restructure the Indigenous Sanitary Districts in order to resume assistance to the Yanomami people, after years of abandonment and negligence towards indigenous health," stated the agency.

Civil Police officers were investigating reports of drug trafficking when they conducted a search in the house and found the medicines. Among them were:

• Amoxicillin: a medication used to treat bacterial infections that can cause pneumonia, one of the main causes of death in the Yanomami territory;
• Nystatin: used to treat fungal infections;
• Lidocaine Hydrochloride: used as an anesthetic;
• Ivermectin: used to treat worm or parasite infections, a problem also faced by Yanomami children.

In Dário's opinion, these medicines could have "saved lives" of children and adults who died due to lack of assistance.

"That is why we demand an investigation. Who is responsible? Who were the coordinators in the previous administration? Who was in charge of pharmaceuticals in the Yanomami District that managed the supply of medicines? The justice system needs to investigate these individuals and how the previous administration failed to properly care for, distribute, and supply medicines in the Yanomami Land. This is very sad, and we have lost many of our children," he stated.

During the police operation, it was identified that the boxes were addressed to the Yanomami Indigenous Special Sanitary District (Dsei-Y) ? an agency of the Ministry of Health responsible for indigenous healthcare.

"When the officers from DRE (Narcotics Repression Police Station) came across these medicines, they alerted the DRCAP team. During the search at the location, we confirmed that the medicines were intended for the DSEI Yanomami. There were many boxes with various medicines, many of them expired since 2021. Therefore, we understood that it was not within the competence of the Civil Police, and we alerted the Federal Police," highlighted delegate Magnólia Soares, from DRCAP.

The vials were found discarded in bags and boxes, some of them dirty with dust and soil. In one of the pictures, it is possible to see the lot numbers on the boxes of the medicines, which are 1922002 and 1921868. The Ministry of Health, when approached, has not yet commented on the matter.

Yoasi Operation

In October 2023, the Federal Police carried out the second phase of the Yoasi Operation, which investigates suspects of laundering funds from the diversion of medicines intended for the Yanomami people. On that occasion, four search and seizure warrants were executed.

The individuals under investigation are businessmen and Dsei-Y employees who invested sums of money in suspicious companies in an attempt to make it appear as if the embezzled money was legitimate.

The first phase of the operation, carried out in November 2022, investigated the alleged scheme that left over 10,000 Yanomami children without assistance, with the effective delivery of only 30% of the medications acquired by Dsei-Y.

Being the largest indigenous territory in Brazil, the Yanomami Indigenous Land is currently experiencing a severe humanitarian and health crisis, with dozens of adults and children suffering from severe malnutrition and malaria. Since January 20, 2023, the region has been under a public health emergency.