With social participation considered historic, the 17th National Health Conference pointed with the proposals and guidelines approved in its plenary session to reaffirm the importance of the Unified Health System (SUS), the appreciation of health professionals and the need for equity in public policies . The president of the National Health Council (CNS), the main social control entity of the SUS, Fernando Pigatto said, in an interview with Agência Brasil, that almost 2,000 proposals were discussed by around 6,000 conference participants, and the approved guidelines claim the reversal of the weakening of the SUS in recent years. “The guidelines and proposals configure a new moment for SUS, of reaffirmation of historical principles, but also of bringing the equity agenda with greater visibility. That was a highlight. The social movements and the diversity of the Brazilian people present there with their representation, the terreiro peoples, the black and quilombola population, the indigenous population, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA+”, said Pigatto. The meeting, in Brasília, took place from Sunday (3) to Thursday (5), with the theme Guaranteeing rights, defending the SUS, life and democracy – Tomorrow will be another day! The president of the National Health Council said that the definition of the topic responds to a scenario in which “the SUS was attacked with underfunding, life was attacked by denialism during the covid-19 pandemic, and democracy, by anti-democratic statements by the former -president Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters”. “We had around 2,000 guidelines and proposals because we really involved people to make everything that happened in the last period materialize in proposals to be materialized at the conference”, said Pigatto. Participants The proposals discussed at the conference are the result of a process that began in August 2021, when, still during the covid-19 pandemic, discussions began in the preparatory stages. Then, local and municipal conferences were held, rising later to the state and regional level, until they converged in the national conference. Along the way, more than 2 million people participated in the discussions, which also took place in free conferences organized by institutions and social movements. “The approved proposals and guidelines strengthen our fight in the sense that all people have the right to life and a full life, and the SUS has to be prepared to respond to these populations”. During the national conference, in Brasília, a survey carried out by the council with 58% of those present found that 54% declared themselves to be black or brown, and six out of ten were women. The participation of indigenous people reached 4.6% of the 6,000 people present, and 6.3% declared themselves to be people with disabilities. “65% declared that they were attending a National Health Conference for the first time. This is important, because we have a picture that the conference of the 17th National Health Conference is a mirror of Brazilian society”. The president of the National Health Council said that the proposals debated also included proposals from reactionary groups, who elected representatives from their localities to participate in the conference. “The proposals brought by reactionary groups were defeated. There was no small amount of experience of advances by reactionary groups in this period, and these groups tried to influence the deliberations of the conference. This shows that we need to continue taking care of these populations that are usually excluded, persecuted and killed, as is the case with LGBTQIA+ people, ”he said. PIB in public health Pigatto highlighted that the participation is double what was registered in the previous conference, in 2019, and reflects the desire to reverse losses of the Unified Health System. Among the main proposals that will be forwarded by the council is the increase of investments in public health to 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP, sum of goods and services produced in the country). “Due to the underfunding of the SUS in recent years, we are aiming for an investment of 6% of GDP in public health by the end of the Lula government. This means almost doubling what is invested today. In addition to valuing male and female workers”, said the chairman of the council. “The Brazilian population participated more to see their rights guaranteed and to ensure that the SUS was strengthened, financed, so that life came first and democracy was reestablished in our country. It was a growing mobilization, even in a difficult moment like the pandemic, when people wanted to take the reins of their destiny and say what needs to be done in the SUS”, said Pigatto. The final report of the National Health Conference, with the approved proposals and guidelines, will be finalized and delivered to the National Health Council next Tuesday (11). From then on, the report will be discussed with the Ministry of Health, together with society’s contributions to the Multi-Year Participatory Plan, which is open until the end of next week. The result will be a resolution that will be voted on at the council plenary on July 19 and 20, producing an official document that will be delivered to the Ministry of Health to support the National Health Plan and the Multi-Year Plan from 2024 to 2027. After a period of attack in previous years, in Pigatto’s assessment, primary care is among the priorities identified by the National Health Conference. The proposals aim to strengthen policies such as the return of Mais Médicos and the recomposition of multidisciplinary teams and community health agents in basic health units. “We believe that the approved guidelines and proposals for strengthening primary care are fundamental. It’s that old adage that prevention is better than cure. We know that everything treated in primary care avoids the overload of specialized care. The question of the increase in queues is a consequence of the fragility of primary care in the last period, which was marked by setbacks in all areas, and primary care was one of them”, commented Pigatto. In addition to investments in human resources and valuation of professionals, the guidelines include the need to improve the physical conditions of the units, reverse privatization in primary care, expand the network of units and establish more local councils for participation in basic health units. “The Union is once again fulfilling its role of strengthening the SUS, and we need states and municipalities to also expand investments to improve the SUS as a whole”, evaluates the president of the council. “We will have a feedback process for states and municipalities of everything that was approved at the National Health Conference. We decided to do this process to give back to those who participated so that they know what will be carried out and will have resulted in people’s lives”.
Agência Brasil
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