A Política Nacional de Vigilância em Saúde

Abstract

It is an unprecedented document to guide the planning of health surveillance actions in the three management spheres of the Brazilian National Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde-SUS), and is characterized by the definition of responsibilities, principles, guidelines and strategies for health surveillance. PNVS has incorporated guidelines and proposals debated and approved during the 1 st National Conference on Health Surveillance (Conferência Nacional de Vigilância em Saúde-CNVS), held in Brasilia from 27 February to 2 March 2018, and was the subject of an editorial published in Epidemiology and Health Services: the Brazilian National Health System Journal (RESS). 2 The event was organized by the National Health Council (CNS) with the support of the Health Ministry's Health Surveillance Secretariat (SVS/MS). 1,820 participants from all of Brazil's Federative Units took part. It was the first occasion since the promulgation of the 1988 Federal Constitution that health surveillance has been widely debated by health workers, health service managers, academics and SUS service users. The Final Report on the 1 st CNVS provides a record, with a wealth of text and images, of the debates held during this magnificent event. 3 PNVS is defined as a State public policy and an essential function of SUS. It is universal, cross-cutting and guides the health care model at territory level. Its realization depends on its strengthening and linkage with other instances of the health system, while its management is the sole responsibility of the government. PNVS defines Health Surveillance as a continuous and systematic process of data collection, data consolidation, data analysis and dissemination of information on health-related events, for the purpose of planning and implementing public health measures, including regulating, intervening and acting on health conditioning factors and determinants, in order to protect and promote the population's health, and to prevent and control risks, health complaints and diseases. 1 PNVS focuses on all levels of health care, covers all health care services-both public and private-, as well as establishments dedicated to the production and circulation of consumer goods and related technologies. Aligned with all SUS health policies, PNVS stresses the necessity of articulating knowledge, processes and practices relating to epidemiological surveillance, environmental health surveillance, occupational health surveillance and health surveillance, considering the cross-cutting nature of surveillance actions in the health-disease process. 1 PNVS sets forth the following shared responsibilities between federal government, states, Federal District and municipalities: ensuring the provision of health surveillance actions and services, establishing and guaranteeing articulation between the sectors responsible for public policies, developing strategies to identify and control situations capable of resulting in risk of harm to health, among others. 1 Similarly, the funding of health surveillance actions mus...

Revisitando a trajetória da Epidemiologia e Serviços de Saúde: o ciclo virtuoso de 2011 a 2018

“…Furthermore, in 2018, RESS highlighted the holding of the 1 st National Conference on Health Surveillance (ICNVS) 15 as a milestone for the construction of the National Health Surveillance Policy, which was also the subject of an editorial. 16 Analyzing the trajectory of RESS over the past eight years, as stakeholders involved in building it, we inevitably feel strong emotions. We know where we started, we have respected its history and have purposefully taken on the commitment to raise it to another level of quality, without losing sight of its intention to contribute to strengthening SUS health services.…”