The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Office in Brazil attends the main health-related events that are held in the country. In addition to participating with conferences and contributing to their organization, it offers the possibility of disseminating the products of the technical cooperation with the country through demonstrations, distribution of publications and panel discussions that take place in the stands of the events.
In these stands, the cooperation between PAHO Brazil and BIREME, as a PAHO specialized Center, favors the interaction with final users of the information, who receive mini-courses and training on the access and use of the Virtual Health Library (VHL), LILACS and other regional, national, thematic and institutional information sources and services coordinated by the Center.
Two important events took place between July and August 2019, both of which were attended by BIREME. The first of them was held in Brasilia on July 2-5, the XXXV National Congress of Municipal Health Secretariats – “Diálogos na vida diária do SUS, Brasília”, during which more than 500 successful experiences of the Municipal Health Secretariats were presented. The event was attended by approximately 5,000 participants, including health managers and professionals involved in municipal administration.
During the event, technical cooperation projects of local interest, such as the Virtual Health Library on Primary Health Care BVS APS and the EVIPNet Brasil Portal, were considered, promoting the course on Policies Informed by Evidence and Second Formative Opinions. In addition, the Portal of the National Council of Health Secretaries – CONASS and concrete examples of work with the town hall, as is the case of the Portal of the Municipal Health Secretariat of São Paulo. Products and services were promoted, with approximately 300 participants attending the mini-courses.
The second event was the 16th National Health Conference (8th+8), which is the largest event with social participation in Brazil, open to the general public at the Centro de Exposições Parque da Cidade, from August 4-7, in Brasilia. The conference was organized by the National Health Council (CNS) and held by the Ministry of Health, with the central theme of “Democracy and Health”. It brought together more than 5,000 participants from cities, states and regions, following rules that guarantee the broad participation of the public. The conference is one of the most important spaces for dialogue between the government and society for the construction of public policies. It is through this process that the population is able to contribute actively for the development of public policies.
PAHO/WHO representation in the country took part in both events through promotion actions, such as the situation room and the distribution of referential publications for the Organization, both held by the technical areas. BIREME was also present in the 24o Congresso Multidisciplinar Brasileiro em Diabetes, which took place from July 12-28 in São Paulo. The event, organized by the ANAD – Associação Nacional para o Cuidado do Diabetes, was attended by approximately 1,000 participants, including a variety of professional associations.
Each of these events represent an excellent opportunity to give visibility to BIREME’s products and services, which reflects on the increase in the number of accesses to the different portals presented. They also facilitate the creation of alliances with institutions, societies and associations at municipal, state and federal levels, thus generating opportunities to develop our technical cooperation.
According to Dr. Diego González, Director of BIREME/PAHO/WHO, “our presence in these events covers two strategic priorities of the Center: first, work at the local level and second, reach the end user of the information, showing the scientific and techical output of Latin America and the Caribbean that BIREME, together with its cooperating centers, makes available and visible to all. We are being consistant with the goal of the Pan American Health Organization to LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND”.
Links of interest (in Portuguese):
- XXXV Congresso Nacional de Secretarias Municipais de Saúde https://www.conasems.org.br/congresso/
- 24º Congresso Brasileiro Multidisciplinar em Diabetes http://www.anad.org.br/eventos/congresso/
- 16ª Conferência Nacional de Saúde (8ª+8) http://conselho.saude.gov.br/16cns/apresentacao.html