Public health is focused on actions to maintain the population's health, ensuring adequate treatment and disease prevention.
In Brazil, public health is regulated by the action of the State, through the Ministry of Health and other state and municipal secretariats.
The basic objective of public health is to ensure that the entire population has access to quality medical care.
History of Public Health in Brazil
Learn about the main events and achievements for the consolidation of public health in Brazil:
Health at the time of Colonization and Empire
During the period of colonization and empire in Brazil, there were no public policies aimed at health. At the beginning of colonization, many indigenous people died as a result of "white man's diseases", those brought by Europeans and for which the indigenous population had no resistance.
Access to health care was determined by the individual's social class. The nobles had easy access to doctors, while the poor, slaves and indigenous people did not receive any kind of medical attention. This part of the population was dependent on philanthropy, charity and beliefs.
One of the ways to get care was through medical centers linked to religious institutions, such as the Santas Casas de Misericórdia. These spaces were maintained through donations from the community and for a long time represent the only option for people without financial means.
The year 1808 marks the arrival of the royal family in Brazil and also the creation of the first courses in Medicine. Thus, the first Brazilian doctors were formed, who slowly began to replace foreign doctors.
Public health after the independence of Brazil
After the independence of Brazil, in 1822, D. Pedro II determined the creation of bodies to inspect public health, as a way to prevent epidemics and improve the population's quality of life. Measures aimed at the sanitation.
At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th, the city of Rio de Janeiro had several basic sanitation actions and a vaccination campaign against the smallpox.
Even at that time, the sewage ran in the open and the garbage did not have the proper destination, thus, the population was subject to a series of diseases.
Creation of the Unified Health System (SUS)
The Ministry of Health was created in 1953, when the first conferences on public health in Brazil also began. Hence, the idea of creating a single health system that could serve the entire population arose.
However, with the military dictatorship, health suffered budget cuts and many diseases intensified again.
In 1970, only 1% of the federal budget was allocated to health. At the same time, the Sanitarista Movement was born, formed by health professionals, intellectuals and political parties. They discussed the changes needed for public health in Brazil.
One of the group's achievements was the holding of the 8th National Health Conference, in 1986. The document created at the end of the event was a sketch for the creation of the National Health System - SUS.
THE 1988 constitution it brings health as a citizen's right and a State's duty. Another important achievement was that the public health system must be free, of quality and accessible to all Brazilians and/or residents in Brazil.
Federal Law 8080 of 1990 regulates the Unified Health System. According to the legislation, the objectives of the SUS are:
- Identify and disclose health conditions and determinants;
- Formulate health policy to promote the economic and social fields, to reduce the risk of harm to health;
- Carry out health promotion, protection and recovery actions, integrating care and preventive actions.
You may also be interested in:
- Brazilian health reform
- Brazil's social problems
- Questions about social inequality
The current situation of Public Health in Brazil
The Unified Health System (SUS) was a great achievement of the Brazilian population, being recognized as one of the largest in the world and used as a model in many other countries.
However, public health in Brazil is challenged by poor management and lack of financial investments. As a result, we have a collapsing system, often insufficient and with poor quality to serve the population.
The main challenges for public health in Brazil are:
- lack of doctors: The Federal Council of Medicine estimates that there is 1 doctor for every 470 people.
- lack of beds: Many hospitals lack beds for patients. The situation is even more complicated when it comes to the ICU (Intensive Care Unit).
- Lack of financial investments: In 2018, only 3.6% of the federal government's budget was allocated to health. The world average is 11.7%.
- long wait for service: Scheduling appointments with specialist doctors can take up to months, even for patients who need immediate care. The same happens with scheduling exams.
People who need medical care often suffer from the delay or drop out of care and return home. In many hospitals, it is common to see people being treated in corridors, long waiting lines and/or precarious conditions of structure and hygiene.
Allied to this, many hospitals and research centers are threatened with ending their activities due to the lack of investments and manpower.
As a way to access medical care, many people turn to supplementary health, that is, private health plans. However, prices are high, which means that 75% of the population depends only on SUS.
A survey carried out and published in 2018 by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) showed that 89% of the Brazilian population classifies public or private health as very bad, bad or regular.
public health and diseases
Currently, the main public health problems in Brazil are the hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
These diseases affect a large part of the population and need an adequate structure within the SUS to ensure quality care for all.
The result of the lack of investments in health is reflected in the return of diseases considered to have been eradicated or controlled for a long time. For example, in 2018, Brazil experienced an outbreak of cases of measles. The same happened with yellow fever in 2017.
Public health also involves the dissemination of vaccination campaigns and dissemination of ways to prevent diseases.
