Photo: Peter Ilicciev
The Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) welcomed the 12th Brazilian Congress on Public Health held from July 26 to 29, Abrascão 2018 - the largest event in health area in Latin America. The purpose of the meeting was to strengthen the Unified Health System (SUS), through discussions that involved approximately 7,500 congress members. "It was an extraordinary event, with great success and repercussion, and became a historical milestone for the activities of both institutions and for the entire field of collective health," said on the occasion Nísia Trindade de Lima, president of Fiocruz.
The Congress crowned decades of collaboration between Abrasco and Fiocruz, a partnership that began in 1979, and featured the presentation of 5,653 scientific communications from more than 3,000 institutions, including universities and public and private research centers, and municipal and state secretariats, federal government and social movements. More than 120 scientific activities took place simultaneously in 22 spaces of Fiocruz campus. Among the international speakers were Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile for two terms (2006 to 2010 and 2014 to 2018), who participated in the opening of the Congress with the lecture “Rights and democracy: universal and public health systems”, and Sir Michael Marmot, founder of social epidemiology, who spoke about social inequality and strategies to overcome them.
The circles of conversation in Paulo Freire and Social Control tents had debates and activities related to Popular Health Education, anti-asylum fight, complementary integrative practices and social participation, led by entities such as the National Articulation of Movements and Practices of Popular Education and Health (Aneps) and the National Health Council (CNS), among others. During the congress, the 16th National Health Conference was launched, which theme will be "Democracy is health".
In addition to the motto and appreciation of diversity, expressed in its logo, another highlight of Abrascão 2018 is the idea of congress-process. Six preparatory seminars held in Goiânia, Belo Horizonte, Fortaleza, João Pessoa and Rio de Janeiro discussed the paths of Primary Healthcare and SUS relations with violence, Health Surveillance, and the development of university and science, technology and innovation, activating local networks and collecting ideas and readings of the conjuncture.
"It was the first time that the Foundation hosted an event of such political importance and grandeur, ensuring a public and democratic space to debate and face the challenges of Brazil courageously, and particularly Rio de Janeiro. To promote this Congress, at this time in the national life, and to name the main tent of the Abrascão of Marielle Franco was to show once again that the campus of Manguinhos is a territory of SUS and democracy and it needs peace, as well as the neighboring communities. Our coexistence in thosee four days showed that this is possible," the president of Fiocruz highlighted in her letter of thanks.
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