Brazil Court grants Tancredo Neves family access to medical records

The 13th Chamber of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF-1) has unanimously ruled that the family of former president-elect Tancredo Neves may access confidential medical documents regarding his 1985 hospitalization and death.

The decision requires the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) and the Regional Medical Council of the Federal District (CRM-DF) to release medical records, reports, and the names of the professionals involved in his care at the Hospital de Base in Brasília. The family, led by Tancredo Augusto Tolentino Neves, seeks to investigate long-standing suspicions of medical error and procedural failures.

Tancredo Neves was elected as the first civilian president following Brazil's military regime but died on April 21, 1985, before taking office. The legal battle for these documents intensified following the 2010 publication of the book “O Paciente: O Caso Tancredo Neves” by Luís Mir, which raised questions about the necessity of emergency surgery and the conditions of his post-operative care. The court ruled that medical secrecy is not absolute and must be balanced against the rights to information and the preservation of historical memory.