Offer of exclusive beds for COVID-19 in the state of Espírito Santo

ABSTRACT The pandemic brought several challenges to the entire social structure, demanding the organization and development of public policies to guide the health situation. With regard to health, actions so far have involved non-pharmacological measures and preparation of the health system. In the case of Brazil, in March 2020, specific ordinances were deliberated on the offer of COVID-19 ICU beds. In April 2020, the state of Espírito Santo began structuring reference hospitals for COVID-19, enabling beds in public hospitals under direct and indirect management, and in private and philanthropic hospitals. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the relationship of purchase and supply of exclusive beds for COVID-19 by the SUS network in the State of Espírito Santo. The data reveal a network with different legal formats, with a strong presence of the philanthropic sector, whether by Social Health Organizations (OSS) or hospitals. Finally, the study concluded that the conduction of the hospital network for COVID-19 ICU beds occurred due to the heterogeneity of legal formats, with the participation of direct public management replaced by different types of management, conditioning the state to reaffirm the contractualizations according to market logic.