Brazilian state audit courts push health and social program reforms

The Tribunal de Contas do Estado do Acre (TCE‑AC) formally notified Health Secretary José Bestene, giving him 15 business days to submit a detailed action plan aimed at reducing waiting lists for surgeries, specialist consultations and medium‑ to high‑complexity procedures. The request, recorded in Process 149.481‑TCE/AC, follows a technical report that identified bottlenecks in the state’s health‑service regulation and called for clearer responsibilities, timelines and expected results.

Separately, the Tribunal de Contas do Estado da Bahia (TCE‑BA) rejected the accounts of a 2011 action‑plan agreement between the now‑defunct Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Pobreza and the municipality of Elísio Medrado. The rejection cited a complete lack of documentation and failure to fulfill the agreement’s objectives. While no fines were imposed, the court urged the successor agency, SEADES, to adopt stricter administrative measures to ensure timely and accurate fiscal oversight of public‑resource transfers.