Balances of federal transfers in SUS: what we have and what to expect from the COVID-19 increment. / Saldos dos repasses federais no SUS: o que temos e o que esperar do incremento para a COVID-19.

We analyzed the balances from the transfers from the Ministry of Health (MH) to subnational entities, to finance the Unified Health System (SUS), including for COVID-19. We verified the representativeness of these in relation to the transfers from the MH to public health actions and services, between 2019and 2020. We analyzed the MH ordinances that gave rise to the COVID-19 transfers, classifying them as: quantity; object; apportionment criterion; amount of installments; execution linked to MH strategies; value. More than 70.000 current accounts were accounted for, and some subnational entities had more than 100. In 2019, balances reached R$16.29 billion (annual increase of 10.2%), representing 19.9% ​​of the total transferred. In 2020, they reached R$23.83 billion (an increase of 46.3%), representing 21.1% of all transfers, with a monthly trend of continued growth. More than 616 ordinances, with 28 different objectives, transferred R$32.30 billion to COVID-19. The resource, originally freely available, had R$11.88 billion (36.8%) linked to the strategies of the MH: R$1.36 billion (99.9%) linked to the Structuring Block, and R$10.52 billion (34.0%) linked to the Maintenance Block. There are several causes that give rise to the accumulation of balances, however the quality, quantity and complexity of the SUS normative framework strongly contribute to an execution of resources that is not very fast, effective, efficient and useful.

Analisamos os saldos provenientes dos repasses do Ministério da Saúde (MS) aos entes subnacionais, destinados ao financiamento do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), inclusive para COVID-19. Verificamos a representatividade destes frente aos repasses do MS destinados às ações e serviços públicos de saúde, entre 2019 e 2020. Analisamos as portarias do MS que deram origem aos repasses COVID-19, classificando-as em: quantidade, objeto, critério de rateio, quantidade de parcelas, execução vinculada a estratégias do MS, valor. Mais de 70 mil contas-correntes foram contabilizadas, alguns entes subnacionais tinham mais de cem. Em 2019, saldos atingiram R$16,29 bilhões (aumento anual de 10,2%), representando 19,9% do total repassado. Em 2020, R$23,83 bilhões (aumento de 46,3%), representando 21,1% do repassado, com tendência de crescimento. Mais de 616 portarias, com 28 diferentes objetivos, repassaram R$32,30 bilhões à COVID-19. O recurso, antes de livre utilização, teve R$11,88 bilhões (36,8%) vinculados às estratégias do MS: R$1,36 bilhão (99,9%) Bloco Estruturação e R$10,52 bilhões (34,0%) Bloco Manutenção. Várias podem ser as causas que dão origem ao acúmulo de saldos, todavia qualidade, quantidade e complexidade do arcabouço normativo do SUS contribuem fortemente para uma execução dos recursos pouco célere, efetiva, eficiente e eficaz.

The Global Health Architecture: Governance and International Institutions to Advance Population Health Worldwide.

Policy Points Global health institutions and instruments should be reformed to fully incorporate the principles of good health governance: the right to health, equity, inclusive participation, transparency, accountability, and global solidarity. New legal instruments, like International Health Regulations amendments and the pandemic treaty, should be grounded in these principles of sound governance. Equity should be embedded into the prevention of, preparedness for, response to, and recovery from catastrophic health threats, within and across nations and sectors. This includes the extant model of charitable contributions for access to medical resources giving way to a new model that empowers low- and middle-income countries to create and produce their own diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics-such as through regional messenger RNA vaccine manufacturing hubs. Robust and sustainable funding of key institutions, national health systems, and civil society will ensure more effective and just responses to health emergencies, including the daily toll of avoidable death and disease disproportionately experienced by poorer and more marginalized populations.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on health surveillance work. / Efeitos da pandemia de COVID-19 no trabalho em vigilância sanitária.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged managers and exposed weaknesses in health systems. In Brazil, the pandemic emerged amid difficulties to work in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and in health surveillance (HS). The purpose of this article is to analyze the effects of COVID-19 on the organization, working conditions, management, and performance of HS, according to the perception of capital city managers from three regions of Brazil. This is an exploratory, descriptive research with qualitative analysis. The Iramuteq software was used in the treatment of the textual corpus and analysis of descending hierarchical classification, which generated four classes: characteristics of HS work during the pandemic (39.9%), HS organization and working conditions during the pandemic (12.3%), effects of the pandemic on work (34.4%), and the class of the health protection of workers and the population (13.4%). HS implemented remote work, expanded work shifts, and diversified its actions. However, it faced difficulties with personnel, infrastructure, and insufficient training. The present study also pointed out the potential for joint actions concerning HS.

A pandemia de COVID-19 desafiou gestores e explicitou fragilidades dos sistemas de saúde. No Brasil, a pandemia surgiu em meio a dificuldades para o trabalho no SUS e na vigilância sanitária (VISA). O objetivo deste artigo é analisar os efeitos da COVID-19 sobre a organização, as condições de trabalho, a gestão e a atuação de VISA, conforme a percepção de gestores de capitais de três regiões do Brasil. É uma pesquisa exploratória, descritiva, com análise qualitativa. Utilizou-se o software Iramuteq no tratamento do corpus textual e a análise de classificação hierárquica descendente gerou quatro classes: características do trabalho de VISA na pandemia (39,9%), organização e condições de trabalho de VISA na pandemia (12,3%), efeitos da pandemia sobre o trabalho (34,4%) e proteção da saúde de trabalhadores e da população (13,4%). A VISA implantou trabalho remoto, ampliou turnos de trabalho e diversificou suas ações. Entretanto, enfrentou dificuldades de pessoal, infraestrutura e capacitação insuficiente. O estudo apontou as potencialidades das ações conjuntas para a VISA.

Earthquakes as triggers for public health disasters: WHO and health systems' response.

The February 2023 earthquakes in Syria and Türkiye The earthquakes that hit southeast Türkiye and northwest Syria in February 2023 have been the most devastating among several earthquakes witnessed globally in the past decades. As of 28 February 2023, it had caused the death of over 50 000 people and affected more than 18 million others. In northwest Syria alone, the earthquakes affected at least 96 communities and 35 sub-districts, damaging or destroying more than 10 000 buildings, including 48 health facilities, and leaving over 11 000 people homeless (4). More than 45 000 deaths and 85 000 injuries have been reported in Harim, Afrin and Jebel Saman districts, and at least 50 000 families displaced in Aleppo, Homs, Hama, and Latakia.

A Crisis in the Health System and Quality of Healthcare in Economically Developed Countries.

A health crisis caused by a pandemic tested the effectiveness of national healthcare systems by testing both financing and organizational and technical performance of patient care. At that time, the structural flaws in healthcare systems and inequalities in the level of healthcare in its different dimensions and countries due to resource constraints were highlighted. Therefore, the paper concentrates on investigating how the crisis in the health system affects the quality of healthcare services as a result of changes in the availability of financial, material, and human resources belonging to this system. The quantitative data, in terms of healthcare characterizing the OECD countries and selected non-member economies, treated as an example of economically developed regions, were chosen for the analysis. The study included five areas of resources, i.e., demographic, financial, human, technical, and the delivery of basic services in healthcare. T-test method for dependent samples, supplemented with Hedge's g statistics, was applied to test the differences between the mean values of individual indicators. The results indicate the occurrence of changes in some areas of the healthcare system due to a crisis. Identifying areas that are particularly vulnerable to sudden changes in the healthcare system helps to understand which resource areas need to be strategically managed first, as shifts in levels respond to deteriorating healthcare quality outcomes.

Transformative dimensions of resilience and brittleness during health systems' collapse: a case study in Brazil using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method.

BACKGROUND: As health systems struggle to tackle the spread of Covid-19, resilience becomes an especially relevant attribute and research topic. More than strength or preparedness, to perform resiliently to emerging shocks, health systems must develop specific abilities that aim to increase their potential to adapt to extraordinary situations while maintaining their regular functioning. Brazil has been one of the most affected countries during the pandemic. In January 2021, the Amazonas state's health system collapsed, especially in the city of Manaus, where acute Covid-19 patients died due to scarcity of medical supplies for respiratory therapy. METHODS: This paper explores the case of the health system's collapse in Manaus to uncover the elements that prevented the system from performing resiliently to the pandemic, by carrying out a grounded-based systems analysis of the performance of health authorities in Brazil using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method. The major source of information for this study was the reports from the congressional investigation carried out to unveil the Brazilian response to the pandemic. RESULTS: Poor cohesion between the different levels of government disrupted essential functions for managing the pandemic. Moreover, the political agenda interfered in the abilities of the system to monitor, respond, anticipate, and learn, essential aspects of resilient performance. CONCLUSIONS: Through a systems analysis approach, this study describes the implicit strategy of "living with Covid-19", and an in-depth view of the measures that hampered the resilience of the Brazilian health system to the spread of Covid-19.

[The lomé platform: a plea carried by the mutualist movement]. / La plateforme de lomé : un plaidoyer porté par le mouvement mutualiste.

The adoption of the Abidjan Platform in 1999 accompanied the development of mutual health insurance on the African continent. Twenty years after the adoption of the Abidjan Platform, mutual health insurance companies have indeed experienced development, structuring and professionalization. In January 2019, the international mutualist movement adopted the "Lomé Platform" during the Lomé conference, a document presenting a new consensus for the development of mutuality, taking into account the impact of national, regional and international decision-making levels on the environment influencing the development of mutual health insurance. Two years after the adoption of the document, its recommendations remain relevant and the COVID-19 crisis reveals the importance of seizing all resources to develop health systems on the African continent.

A Basis to Be Here: Stories from International Graduate Students in the United States.

Recent guidance from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement drastically altered the lives of international students in America, especially those who are matriculating. This commentary describes how international students still face uncertainty concerning their visa statuses and their place in American society.

Of primary health care reforms and pandemic responses: understanding perspectives of health system actors in Kerala before and during COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: In 2016, the Government of the southern Indian state of Kerala launched the Aardram mission, a set of reforms in the state's health sector with the support of Local Self Governments (LSG). Primary Health Centres (PHCs) were slated for transformation into Family Health Centres (FHCs), with extended hours of operation as well as improved quality and range of services. With the COVID-19 pandemic emerging soon after their introduction, we studied the outcomes of the transformation from PHC to FHC and how they related to primary healthcare service delivery during COVID-19. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using In-depth interviews with 80 health system actors (male n = 32, female n = 48) aged between 30-63 years in eight primary care facilities of four districts in Kerala from July to October 2021. Participants included LSG members, medical and public health staff, as well as community leaders. Questions about the need for primary healthcare reforms, their implementation, challenges, achievements, and the impact of COVID-19 on service delivery were asked. Written informed consent was obtained and interview transcripts - transliterated into English-were thematically analysed by a team of four researchers using ATLAS.ti 9 software. RESULTS: LSG members and health staff felt that the PHC was an institution that guarantees preventive, promotive, and curative care to the poorest section of society and can help in reducing the high cost of care. Post-transformation to FHCs, improved timings, additional human resources, new services, fully functioning laboratories, and well stocked pharmacies were observed and linked to improved service utilization and reduced cost of care. Challenges of geographical access remained, along with concerns about the lack of attention to public health functions, and sustainability in low-revenue LSGs. COVID-19 pandemic restrictions disrupted promotive services, awareness sessions and outreach activities; newly introduced services were stopped, and outpatient numbers were reduced drastically. Essential health delivery and COVID-19 management increased the workload of health workers and LSG members, as the emphasis was placed on managing the COVID-19 pandemic and delivering essential health services. CONCLUSION: Most of the health system actors expressed their belief in and commitment to primary health care reforms and noted positive impacts on the clinical side with remaining challenges of access, outreach, and sustainability. COVID-19 reduced service coverage and utilisation, but motivated greater efforts on the part of both health workers and community representatives. Primary health care is a shared priority now, with a need for greater focus on systems strengthening, collaboration, and primary prevention.

Using the Age-Friendly Health Systems Framework to Track Wellness and Health Promotion Priorities of Older Adults in the Global Community.

The promotion of health and wellness interventions for older adults is important in controlling the onset and progression of disabilities as well as disease in these individuals [...].

A discourse and content analysis of representation in the mainstream media of the South African National Health Insurance policy from 2011 to 2019.

BACKGROUND: Media is a crucial factor in shaping public opinion and setting policy agendas. There is limited research on the role of media in health policy processes in low- and middle-income countries. This study profiles South Africa as a case example, currently in the process of implementing a major health policy reform, National Health Insurance (NHI). METHODS: A descriptive, mixed methods study was conducted in five sequential phases. Evidence was gathered through a scoping review of secondary literature; discourse analysis of global policy documents on universal health coverage and South African NHI policy documents; and a content and discourse analysis of South African print and online media texts focused on NHI. Representations within media were analysed and dominant discourses that might influence the policy process were identified. RESULTS: Discourses of 'health as a global public good' and 'neoliberalism' were identified in global and national policy documents. Similar neoliberal discourse was identified within SA media. Unique discourses were identified within SA media relating to biopolitics and corruption. Media representations revealed political and ideological contestation which was not as present in the global and national policy documents. Media representations did not mirror the lived reality of most of the South African population. The discourses identified influence the policy process and hinder public participation in these processes. They reinforce social hierarchy and power structures in South Africa, and might reinforce current inequalities in the health system, with negative repercussions for access to health care. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to understand mainstream media as part of a people-centred health system, particularly in the context of universal health coverage reforms such as NHI. Harmful media representations should be counter-acted. This requires the formation of collaborative and sustainable networks of policy actors to develop strategies on how to leverage media within health policy to support policy processes, build public trust and social cohesion, and ultimately decrease inequalities and increase access to health care. Research should be undertaken to explore media in other diverse formats and languages, and in other contexts, particularly low- and middle-income countries, to further understand media's role in health policy processes.

Health system adaptions to improve care for people living with non-communicable diseases during COVID-19 in low-middle income countries: A scoping review.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, access to health care for people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been significantly disrupted. Calls have been made to adapt health systems and innovate service delivery models to improve access to care. We identified and summarized the health systems adaptions and interventions implemented to improve NCD care and their potential impact on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: We comprehensively searched Medline/PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Global Health, PsycINFO, Global Literature on coronavirus disease, and Web of Science for relevant literature published between January 2020 and December 2021. While we targeted articles written in English, we also included papers published in French with abstracts written in English. Results: After screening 1313 records, we included 14 papers from six countries. We identified four unique health systems adaptations/interventions for restoring, maintaining, and ensuring continuity of care for people living with NCDs: telemedicine or teleconsultation strategies, NCD medicine drop-off points, decentralization of hypertension follow-up services and provision of free medication to peripheral health centers, and diabetic retinopathy screening with a handheld smartphone-based retinal camera. We found that the adaptations/interventions enhanced continuity of NCD care during the pandemic and helped bring health care closer to patients using technology and easing access to medicines and routine visits. Telephonic aftercare services appear to have saved a significant amount of patients' time and funds. Hypertensive patients recorded better blood pressure controls over the follow-up period. Conclusions: Although the identified measures and interventions for adapting health systems resulted in potential improvements in access to NCD care and better clinical outcomes, further exploration is needed to establish the feasibility of these adaptations/interventions in different settings given the importance of context in their successful implementation. Insights from such implementation studies are critical for ongoing health systems strengthening efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 and future global health security threats for people living with NCDs.

COVID-19 Revealed Shortcomings Of The US Public Health System And The Need To Strengthen Funding And Accountability.

The US governmental public health system, which includes federal, state, and local agencies, is seen by many observers as having a money problem, stemming from a lack of resources. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this lack of resources has had unfortunate consequences for the communities that public health practice leaders are expected to protect. Yet the money problem is complex and involves understanding the nature of chronic public health underinvestment, identifying what money is spent in public health and what the country gets for it, and determining how much money is needed to do the work of public health in the future. This Commentary elucidates each of these issues and provides recommendations for making public health services more financially sustainable and accountable. Well-functioning public health systems require adequate funding, but a modernized public health financial data system is also key to the systems' success. There is a great need for standardization and accountability in public health finance, along with incentives and the generation of research evidence demonstrating the value of and most effective delivery for a baseline of public health services that every community should expect.

[Temporal analysis of the inclusion of Physical Education Professionals and Residents in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) from 2009 to 2021]. / Análise temporal da inserção de Profissionais e Residentes de Educação Física no Sistema Único de Saúde de 2009 a 2021.

Physical Education is one of the categories featured in the SUS workforce. An ecological time series study, based on the National Registry of Health Establishments, was conducted to analyze the inclusion of Physical Education Professionals (PEFs) and residents in the SUS between 2009 and 2021. The scope of the article was to establish a panorama of the inclusion of Physical Education and analyze the distribution of PEFs and residents in the different regions. An increase of 476.01% in the number of PEFs and 10,366.67% among residents was revealed. The PEF rate per 100,000 inhabitants increased by 13.7% per year from 2009 to 2021, with an increase of 28.1% between 2009 and 2014 and 7.8% between 2014 and 2019, and a decrease of 3.4% between 2019 and 2021. The resident rate increased by 36.2% per year between 2009 and 2021, with a 45.9% increase between 2009 and 2017 and 18.7% between 2017 and 2021. Regional inequalities in the distribution of PEFs and residents were revealed, with the highest concentration, in 2021, in the Northeast and South regions, respectively. The increase in PEFs and residents in the SUS can be linked to policies and programs of physical exercise and activities, while the decrease is possibly related to the Previne Brasil Program and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dentre as categorias que fazem parte da força de trabalho do SUS está a Educação Física. Por meio de estudo ecológico de séries temporais, com base no Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saúde, os objetivos do artigo foram analisar a inserção de Profissionais de Educação Física (PEF) e residentes no SUS entre 2009 e 2021 com vistas a traçar um panorama da inserção da Educação Física e analisar a distribuição de PEF e residentes entre as diferentes regiões. Foi revelado um aumento de 476,01% no número de PEF e de 10.366,67% entre os residentes. A taxa de PEF por 100.000 habitantes aumentou 13,7% ao ano entre 2009 e 2021, com aumento de 28,1% entre 2009 e 2014 e de 7,8% entre 2014 e 2019, e redução de 3,4% entre 2019 e 2021. A taxa de residentes aumentou 36,2% ao ano entre 2009 a 2021, com aumento de 45,9% entre 2009 e 2017 e de 18,7% entre 2017 e 2021. Foram reveladas desigualdades regionais na distribuição de PEF e residentes, com maior concentração, em 2021, respectivamente nas regiões Nordeste e Sul. O aumento de PEF e residentes no SUS pode ser relacionado com políticas e programas de práticas corporais e atividades físicas, enquanto o decréscimo, possivelmente, se relaciona com o Programa Previne Brasil e à pandemia de COVID-19.