Brazil enters 2023 facing a health crisis. There is an urgent need to walk a path of recovery. With the new democratically elected government, there is hope for better days.
The deterioration of health began with the implementation of Constitutional Amendment 95, known as PEC da Morte, at the end of 2016. EC 95 froze health spending and compromised the ability of the SUS to provide essential services. It is estimated that, between 2018 and 2022, the SUS lost about BRL 60 billion because of EC 95.
The last four years, however, have been unprecedented. We live in a pandemic, administered by an irresponsible government, with no commitment to truth, science and life. The balance of it all? Almost 700,000 lives lost, more than 113,000 orphaned children and a setback of decades in several health indicators.
This government that has just left leaves a morbid legacy in health. It distanced science from decision-making, did not support basic research and compromised the collection of data that are essential for a quick and effective response to health demands.
It cut the channels of communication with society and isolated itself from the world, breaking a tradition of protagonism that Brazil used to occupy in international cooperation agreements.
It did not recognize structural racism as a social determinant of health and cut part of the budget for indigenous health actions, which was also drastically impaired by decisions that promoted deforestation and illegal mining in the Amazon (“pass the cattle”).
The list is long! Part of what the SUS bravely conquered over three decades was destroyed in just over two years.
It is this scenario that will have to be managed by the new government. It will be intense work. Realistically, there is no way to solve everything at once and in just four years. After all, there are also challenges in education, economy, environment, infrastructure, etc. It will be necessary to define priorities and promote intersectoral actions in order to optimize results.
The Report by the Technical Health Group of the Government Transition Commission, presented by former ministers Arthur Chioro and José Gomes Temporão to the new minister Nísia Trindade on December 29, analyzes the dismantling of public health policies, lists warning points that demand urgent action, identifies normative acts and decrees that should be revoked and recommends ten priorities for the first hundred days of government.
As presented during the press conference, these priorities include strengthening SUS management, restructuring the National Immunization Program, strengthening the response to the pandemic and other emergencies, reducing queues at specialized services, strengthening primary care, rescuing the Popular Pharmacy Program, strengthening women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health, as well as indigenous health, resume the development of the health industrial complex and revitalize information technology and digital health.
Minister Nísia Trindade and her team are now starting the hard work of not only defining priorities but also preparing the National Health Plan for the next four years.
For those who think that problems can be solved immediately, remember that destruction is fast, but recovery is slow. May there be empathy, community sense and political and fiscal responsibility in 2023. Above all, that the rights established by the Federal Constitution are respected.
“Health is everyone’s right and the State’s duty.” Happy 2023, healthy!
I have over 8 years of experience in the news industry. I have worked for various news websites and have also written for a few news agencies. I mostly cover healthcare news, but I am also interested in other topics such as politics, business, and entertainment. In my free time, I enjoy writing fiction and spending time with my family and friends.
