Abstract

FERREIRA RANGEL, Natália; HERNANDEZ SANTOYO, Alain; DE SOUZA VELOSO, Manoel Vítor  and  RAMUNDO STADUTO, Jefferson Andronio. SPATIAL ANALYSIS IN BRAZIL: ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF DISINFORMATION POLICIES IN THE BRAZILIAN UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM - SUS (2020 TO 2021). Semest. Econ. [online]. 2025, vol.28, n.65, a4979.  Epub Oct 27, 2025. ISSN 0120-6346.  https://doi.org/10.22395/seec.v28n65a4979.

This article aims to analyze the economic impacts of disinformation policies associated with the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020 to 2021. In this study, a disinformation policy is understood as the promotion of early treatment, the ineffectiveness of which has been widely confirmed by international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO). To achieve this objective, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) was used to identify and map these policies' direct economic effects. This research defined variables such as early-treatment medication purchase-related costs, COVID-19 ICU beds, respirator acquisitions, and hospital supplies. Data were obtained from official platforms such as OpenDataSUS and ComprasGov, as well as bibliographic and documentary sources related to the study. Results indicate that the disinformation policies adopted generated negative economic impacts on the SUS, with the use of public resources on treatments without scientific support. In addition to direct expenses, indirect effects were identified, such as an increase in the number of patients requiring respiratory support, which increased hospital costs. It is concluded that disinformation, in this context, aggravated financial losses and compromised the Brazilian public health system's efficiency.

Keywords : Fake news in health, economy, and pandemic; public health and COVID-19; Brazilian public health, early COVID-19 treatment.

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