ISAGS plans future activities in its 2nd anniversary

Rio de Janeiro, july 2013

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ISAGS plans future activities in its 2nd anniversary The South American Institute of Government in Health celebrates two years of outstanding action in promoting regional health integration on July 25th.

Established in 2011 by decision of the Council of Heads of State and Government of the Union of South American Nations, ISAGS has developed so far a number of programmes in order to accomplish the brand new directives it was mandated.

The institute now plans ahead its further actions to deepen its objectives.

The institute’s second anniversary is also consolidating to the UNASUR project of bringing the social area to the centre of the integration process’ objectives. In this sense, it means the success of the 12 South American member countries’ political option of carrying out a project aimed at prioritizing the human dimension in the regional integration, beyond the economical and commercial aspects, which differs from most of the world’s similar processes.

ISAGS will now work to consolidate the creation process of a regional strategic thinking in health As part of the South American Health Council (CSS), one of the 12 Ministerial Councils that make up UNASUR, ISAGS’s actions are based on the Quinquennial Plan 2010-2015 that contains necessities spotted by the Health Ministries of the members of the bloc. The institute is carrying out the Triennial Plan 2012-2015, which defines its priorities in the fields of Social Determination of Health, Universal Systems and Political Economics of Health.

The actions of ISAGS are carried out in close collaboration with the Networks and Technical Groups of CSS, which integrates its Consultive Council - ISAGS has also a Directive Council. Nowadays, six Networks and five Technical Groups are part of the Health Council, and they meet periodically

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The challenge of the South American Institute of Government in Health is to consolidate advancements in integration in health

Paulo Buss, Odorico Monteiro, Jorge Venegas, María Emma Mejía and José Gomes Temporão at the ISAGS inauguration, in 2011

with ISAGS’s help.

In its first year, the Institute structured its actions, which meant the establishment of a technical staff, the internal organization of its areas, and the development of the format of thematic workshops. More than that, it began to structure its communication platforms, to elaborate a book about health systems and to consolidate itself as a strategic think-tank recognized by the health stakeholders in the region.

In its second year, the Institute’s efforts converged to the consolidation of the advancements attained and its definite institutionalization. It has so far obtained the formal recognition of 11 UNASUR countries. ISAGS so far organized two trilingual conferences that were broadcasted live, published its first book, and presented the new graphic design of the monthly issue of its Report, as well as the new version of its weekly Newsletter.

Next year, ISAGS will close its first cycle as the mandate of the former Brazilian Health Minister José Gomes Temporão, currently the Executive Director, finishes. It can be renewed. The challenge from now on will be to consolidate definitely the accomplishments and its professionalization, then concluding the creation process of a regional strategic think-tank in health, an unparalleled project

in the world.

So as to close this moment, ISAGS Report produced a special 2nd Anniversary edition that takes stock of the institute’s actions in the period, and foresees its main challenges ahead. In this sense, some of the most important actors involved in its creation were heard, like Oscar Feo and Paulo Buss, the former Uruguayan ministers Daniel Olesker and Jorge Venegas, and the director of the Centre for Strategic Defence Studies (CEED) Alfredo Forti. Extracts of the interviews are on page 4. The complete interviews will be available on ISAGS website social networks throughout July.

READ MORE • ISAGS activities responded to priorities of the South American Health Council - Pág. 2 • Unasur reject veto to Evo’s plane and demand apologies from european countries - Pág. 3 • Leaders speak about the two years of the ISAGS creation and its perspectives - Pág. 4

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Time to consolidate achievements ISAGS celebrates two years of invaluable achievements in the UNASUR strategic project of promoting the integration of health in the South American countries. Our challenge now is to consolidate these achievements in order to guarantee the continuousness of promoting exchange and critical reflexion in the field.

Created in the 25th of July 2011, ISAGS was the result of the political decision of the region’s Heads of State of making public health one of the milestones in the South American integration project.

Its mission is to facilitate knowledge exchange and to generate innovation in public policies, making best practices of government in health available for the 12 countries.

Throughout its first year of existence, the Institute focused its efforts in putting in practice the directives of the South American Health Council (CSS). The institute counted mostly with the help of the Brazilian Government, which suggested Rio de Janeiro to be home of its headquarters. Thematic workshops on strategic issues were carried out with this intent, alongside with meetings of the Networks and Technical Groups that are part of this Sectoral Council.

In the past 12 months, our work was directed to the institutionalization of the ISAGS as an international organism.

New workshops were carried out, and the format of trilingual conferences with live online broadcasting was introduced. More than that, the book “Health Systems in South America: challenges to universality, integrality and equity” was published.

From now on, our challenge will be to consolidate the achievements, which means finalizing the institutionalization process, the internationalization of our technical staff, and making sure the on-going activities continue. Also, the book “Health Surveillance in South America” will be released. By doing so, ISAGS wishes to finalize its first cycle having accomplished the directives of the political decision of South American governments of making health a milestone of the regional integration.

José Gomes Temporão ISAGS Executive Director

Institute’s activities responded to priorities of Unasur Health Council’s Quinquennial Plan ISAGS organized workshops and conferences, published a book and prepares its second publication The 2010-2015 Quinquennial Plan of the South American Health Council (CSS), which defines the strategic objectives of UNASUR for the area of health and which guides ISAGS’ actions, established five central axes. Based on this plan, the institute developed a number of activities during these first two years.

Surveillance and Response in Health Health surveillance was the theme of the first ISAGS workshop in October 2011, the “Workshop on Health Surveillance Systems in South America”. The debate was followed by another workshop about Health Surveillance in November. In May 2012, ISAGS helped to promote a seminar on health regulation that had the participation of the WHO. The institute is currently working on the book “Health Surveillance in South America” that is bound to be released in October.

Universal Health Systems Within the objective of developing universal health systems, the book “Health Systems in South America: challenges to universality, integrality and equity” was published. A coordinated work of 12 Health Ministries, the publication provides a wide and unique panorama of the systems in the countries of the region. The book will be available for download in Spanish and will be translated into English. February this year, ISAGS also organized the trilingual conference “Universal Health Systems: obstacles and challenges” with Dr. Asa Cristina Laurell that was broadcasted online live.

Universal Access to Medicines The institute participated in April this

year in the seminar “Public Production of Medicines in the National and UNASUR Defence Scope” organized by the Argentinean Defence Ministry and the bloc’s Centre for Defence Strategic Studies (CEED). Among the meeting’s objectives were the elaboration of a strategic plan to the production and distribution of medicines.

ISAGS develops still the project of mapping the production capacity of countries’ in the region, in partnership with the Group of Universal Access to Medicines of UNASUR. Social Determination of Health In October 2011, the Institute participated in the World Conference on the Social Determinants of Health that took place in Rio de Janeiro. In the name of CSS, it achieved that crucial points for the regional bloc were included in the final document of the meeting – the Rio Declaration.

In May this year, ISAGS organized the workshop on “Critical Nodes in the Social Determinants of Health”, which opened with the trilingual conference of the former Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Social Development Ministry Dr. Romulo Paes de Sousa.

Human Resources Management Finally, in the human resources field, ISAGS supported the work of the Networks of Public Health Schools (RESP) and Technical Schools (RETS), and also the Technical Group of Human Resources Development and Management – three organs of the CSS that deal with the subject.

In June this year, the Institute organized a meeting to define a work plan for mapping public health post-graduation degrees in South America.

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EDITORIAL

Dr. Asa Cristina Laurell during the trilingual conference on Universal Health Systems, with online transmission in real time

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CONEXION HEALTH

TELESUR

REFORMS IN COLOMBIA

Unasur presidents hold an extraordinary meeting in Cochabamba (Bolivia) to discuss the reaction to the european countries

UNASUR leaders reject veto to Evo´s plane and demand “apologies” from European countries

South American Presidents gathered for an extraordinary meeting in Bolivia after the incident On the 4th of July, Unasur gathered for an extraordinary meeting in Cochabamba (Bolivia), expressing its rejection to the decision of European countries to deny airspace to the plane in which Bolivia´s president, Evo Morales, was travelling. In a declaration, the bloc stated the incident was “unacceptable” and violates international treaties and requested explanations and “public apologies” from France, Portugal, Italia and Spain for the blockage of the presidential plane.

The presidents Cristina Kirchner (Argentina), Rafael Correa (Ecuador), José Mujica (Uruguay), Nicolás Maduro (Venezuela) y Dési Bouterse (Surinam),

as well as Morales participated in the meeting. Brazil´s president, Dilma Rousseff, released a note stating this event affects all Latin America. Mercosur also repudiated the episode, treating it as a “serious offense”.

Morales arrived in Bolivia on Wednesday (3), after staying for 14 hours in Vienna’s airport (Austria) because of the decision made by the four countries not to allow the Bolivian plane into their airspace, due to the suspicion Edward Snowden, former security analyst who denounced United States´ government espionage, was on board. Evo Morales was returning from a trip to Russia.

ISAGS presentes its book in conference on public policy

in public policies and development issues, especially in health.

ISAGS Head of Office Mariana Faria presented the session “Health Reforms in South America” based on data taken from the book. Researchers and participants of the roundtable highlighted the innovative methodology used in the institute’s book.

According to Mariana Faria, ISAGS was essential for the fulfilling of the project in its role of strengthening the region: “ISAGS works as project of the countries for the countries, which is part of a bigger still regional strengthening project that is UNASUR. Whilst answering to ISAGS questions, the countries were answering themselves, evaluating issues like strengthening the region in the basis of health”.

REFORM IN PERU

The Peruvian government, also in the process of reforming its health system, organized between the 6th and the 7th of June the Seminar “Towards the Universalization of Health Protection in Peru”.

According to the Minister Midori de Habich, who is also the Pro Tempore President of CSS, the reform doesn’t aim to privatize the system not to transfer funds from the public system to the private sector.

ISAGS Executive Director José Gomes Temporão participated in the seminar and presented reform processes in other South American countries.

HEALTH IN MERCOSUR

The ISAGS Head of Office, Mariana Faria, participated in Montevideo at the workshop “Capacitation for institutionals actors of Mercosur”, organized by the Center of Formation for the Regional Integration (CEFIR). Its presentation talked about the principles, concepts and practics of the regional integration process and the challenges for the Mercosur health systems.

Also in june, Uruguay transmitted the Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) of the Health Council of Mercosur during the bloc’s 34th Ministerial Meeting, which took place in Montevideo.

COMMUNICATION CENTRE

On June 17th, the new Communication and Information Centre of UNASUR (CCI) was inaugurated in a ceremony that was attended by the bloc’s Secretary General Ali Rodriguez Araque. “Today UNASUR takes another step towards consolidating the regional integration”, he said. ISAGS provided help to CCI’s establishment through its department of Information and Knowledge Management. The support team also had a representative from the Centre for Defence Strategic Studies. The centre is located in Quito (Ecuador), where the General Secretariat is located.

For more information about the book “Health Systems in South America…” and about the first two years of the South American Institute of Government in Health, check out social networks and isags-unasur.org.

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ISAGS presented the results of its book “Health Systems in South America” during the 1st International Conference on Public Policy that took place between June 26th and 28th in Grenoble, France. The event gathered over 900 researchers and experts from 50 countries. In total, there were 400 projects submitted. The institute’s publication, which came out in 2012, stood out due to the innovative collaborative effort of the 12 Health Ministries of UNASUR member countries.

The participation of the Institute on the event represented the acknowledgement of the work carried out during its first two years, which contributed to the consolidation of South America as a political actor. It reflects, furthermore, the importance of the region and of UNASUR as an active voice

The Colombian Congress approved last month the Statutory Law on Health, which is part of the government plan to reform the system.

The bill recognized health a right, establishes price controls over medicines, and obligates the provision of medical services, despite the patient’s economic status. Health sector stakeholders, however, criticized the law because, according to them, it doesn’t solve the country’s problems and doesn’t direct it towards a universal system. The Constitutional Court must consider the Statutory Lay on Health before it is sanctioned.

Inauguration of the CCI of Unasur General Secretariat

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“I find it a victory the ISAGS presence for the Unasur”

Institutes has an important role in the bloc, says Dr. Paulo Buss. Key persons that were part of ISAGS speak about the two years of its creation Leaders that were present at the creation of the Institute or that participated on its activities during these two years spoke to ISAGS Report about its importance to the UNASUR project and to regional integration in health. The interviews/statements will be available throughout June on ISAGS website and our social networks.

José Gomes Temporão, Executive Director of ISAGS - “An assessment of these two years is quite positive. We must understand ISAGS is an organization that can actually be seen as an institutional novelty. There is nothing similar in the European or on the American bloc.

That’s why its path must be traced upon new approaches. So I would say that the evaluation is very positive up to now.

ISAGS managed to present itself as an institution. From now our challenge will be to internationalize its technical staff, conclude its institutionalization and find new strategies out, which allows for advancing in the continental integration using health as a main axe”.

Daniel Olesker, Uruguayan Minister of the Social Development and former Health Minister - “The path ISAGS has taken in these two years is very rewarding to the entire region. It has always been caring to our reflection priorities and, also, the Institute gave us the opportunity to make it so with our South American brothers and sisters. I provided us with inputs on the regional reality that certainly

helped us reform the health system of our country. Solidarity among South American countries has been essential, and this motivating force is present in each of the publications, each of the events and each of the decisions we have taken as Ministers in the ISAGS conduction.”

Alfredo Forti, Director of the Centre for Defence Strategic Studies of UNASUR (CEED) - “CEED and ISAGS are the tangible expression of a political will of integration, cooperation and joint action among the countries of UNASUR. Also, there is one word that gathers horizontally defence and health, one concept: sovereignty. So we do have a converging point, which is to work, analyse and advise the policy makers on defence and health. The role of CEED and ISAGS is to affirm, follow up and contribute to the affirmation, to the consolidation, to the institutionalization of all organs UNASUR is made of.”

Oscar Feo, technical consultant on health policies and systems of ISAGS between 2012 and 2013 - “The task of ISAGS is extremely complex since it is aimed at directing the critical mass and knowledge produced towards the right to health, in a world where the market is predominant. There are, then, many complexities, but I would say ISAGS is

complying with its mission. In these two years, ISAGS achieved many things, as it managed to consolidate itself in terms of structure. It still needs to advance in terms of being a centre for strategic thought. (…) the perspective is important, though.

I believe ISAGS must keep on being cultivated and constructed collectively.”

Paulo Buss, National Coordinator of Brazil in the South American Health Council - “The role of ISAGS is extremely important because it manages to gather the necessary and dominant thought in the health management in its dialogue with other sectors. In these two years, ISAGS was able to provoke the social area to think of itself as a single area (…). No wonder it has sparkled so much interest. I find it a victory the ISAGS presence on the consolidation of UNASUR in these first two years, and certainly we can foresee this role will be expanded as it gets clearer that various social sectors are intertwined and are more and more important.”

Jorge Venegas, former Uruguayan Health Minister - “It is of great importance the role of ISAGS in the region. Its actions have been providing the policies our countries are developing with a overall view on the technical-practical field and it has gotten Health and its transformation into the agenda. Nowadays, more than ever, ISAGS’s role is to be a catalysing institution for all the region in a coordinated way with other regions in order to make health present to all our region’s citizens.

It is a human right.”

INSTITUTIONAL ISAGS-UNASUL Executive Director: José Gomes Temporão Head of Office: Mariana Faria Coordinator: Henri Jouval INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT Coordinator: Camilla Ibiapina ISAGS Report Editor: Amaro Grassi Team: Flávia Bueno, Felippe Amarante and Mariana Moreno

This is the report from the South American Institute of Government in Health (ISAGS), the think tank on health of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) that aims to contribute to improving South America government quality in health by means of leadership training, knowledge management and technical support to health systems.

Contact: comunicacao@isags-unasur.org Phone: +55 21 2215 1858

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