National Health Council – Brazil-Italy: Bridges in Building Comprehensive Public Health

In Bologna, the CNS participates in the Italian-Brazilian Laboratory of Public Health

Among many well-known relations, the relations between Brazil and Italy include the Italian inspiration for the Brazilian health reform, which led to the creation of the Unified Health System in 1990. As a process of constant construction, Brazilian Public Health continues to sponsor these programmes. Relations with the European country since then.

It is in this context that the 14th Italian-Brazilian Laboratory for Training, Research and Practice in Public Health is located, an event that has been taking place since February 13 in Bologna (Italy), and ends on February 24.

The National Health Council (CNS) is part of this initiative and is represented in the XIV Laboratory by National Health Advisor Francesca Valda da Silva, nurse and Master of Social Sciences. At the opening of the meeting, Valda stressed the importance of the exchange: “The Italian experience, which has greatly inspired us in our health reform project, is part of the project to strengthen the sovereign participation of the people.” The Chancellor stressed that this participation, from the point of view of the SUS and the CNS, is the “ultimate principle.”

According to her, “social participation competes with neoliberal economic power for resources so that SUS does not lose the horizon of comprehensive public health.” In addition to the Central Nervous System, representatives of the Ministry of Health are also participating in the 14th Italian-Brazilian laboratory, after the absence of the Ministry during the previous federal government.

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With the support of the Emilia-Romagna region (located in northern Italy) and the universities of Bologna, Parma and La Sapienza (Rome), the meeting is also organized in Brazil by Rede Unida, with support from partners such as Fiocruz. One of the main topics under discussion is the binational project “The Dream; Dialogue between Italy and Brazil for regional, community-oriented assistance.”

Sonhação is a project aimed at strengthening regional healthcare on a community basis and partnership networks between the territories of the Emilia Romagna region and Brazil. Valda, who is involved in the project nucleus in Moussoro (RN), finally highlighted that new frontiers in public health have been crossed, and require a lot of care:

“Digital transformation represents a great opportunity, if we do not lose sight of the perspective of social transformation. It should not be to capture a small part of the population, but to establish the principles of comprehensive public health.

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to know more:

Article by Giovanni Berlinguer on links between Italy and Brazil in the field of health reform (PDF)

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