ISAGS Report - December 2012

UNASUR

Report

South American Institute of Government in Health

Rio de Janeiro, december 2012

www.isags-unasur.org www.facebook.com/isags.unasursalud www.twitter.com/isagsunasur

"T

his is the december special Report of the South American Institute of Government in Health (ISAGS), the center of strategic thinking in health of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). In its fifth edition, the monthly newsletter released by the Institute has already been consolidated as an important vehicle for a South American perspective on health. It is our goal that its content helps in making 2013 a period of achievements for the right of health and for the integration our peoples."

José Gomes Temporão ISAGS Executive Director

South American Health Council consolidates regional agenda in health In 2012, the South American Health Council (CSS) had a leading role in promoting integration in health among member-states of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). CSS fulfilled the mission received at its creation, in December 2008, as a permanent body focused on the construction of a place of integration in health policies. After three meetings held along the year, the Council, formed by the region’s Health Ministers, managed to consolidate a bloc action within WHO bodies; to finish an early transition of the Pro Tempore Presidency; and also to consolidate the institutionalization of the South American Institute of Government in Health ISAGS) see page 3.

In April, the VI CSS Ordinary Meeting was held in Asunción (Paraguay), resulting in the creation of the Network of Risk Management and Disaster Mitigation, the sixth structuring network of the Council which also has five technical groups -, and in the adoption of two resolutions: on counterfeit drugs and on research and development of active principles. One

Access on bit.ly/FlickrIsags a 2012 retrospective album

VI Ordinary Meeting of the South American Health Council, in Asunción, Paraguay (April)

month later, Health Ministers furthered in Geneva (Switzerland) a CSS extraordinary meeting, before to the 65th World Health Assembly, when they managed to articulate in common positions and to act collectively in discussions as to the WHO Reform – see page 4.

In June, CSS faced the challenge of conducting an early transfer of the Pro Tempore Presidency (PPT) due to the suspension of Paraguay – read at the box.

Successfully, the transition resulted in the VII CSS Ordinary Meeting, in Lima (Peru), in September, when the Peruvian PPT Work Plan and the creation of a drugs prices database were discussed.

Late November, during the Meeting of UNASUR Heads of State and Government, the bloc leaders highlighted the importance of the Health Council role towards the regional integration. For 2013, among other things, an unprecedented meeting of South American and Arab Countries’ (ASPA) Heath Ministers, agreed in Lima during the 3rd ASPA Summit, and the PPT transference to Surinam, are also plannedsee page 4.

Protection of the democracy and improvement of the integration project mark UNASUR year The year 2012 has brought to the regional bloc challenges that demonstrated the strength of South American integration. Still with Maria Emma Mejia as head of the Secretariat-General, it was announced the Registry of Spending on Defense and it was approved the Priority Agenda of Integration Projects that gathered investments amounting to 17 billion dollars. The region was also able to assert itself as a democratic area. Shortly after the General Secretariat succession to Ali Rodriguez Araque, President Fernando Lugo’s dismissal in less than 24 hours was considered a disruption of the democratic order, motivating the country suspension from the bloc. In addition, the Electoral Council has fulfilled its first mission in Venezuela. And the very structure of UNASUR has changed with the creation of the “South American Council on Citizen Security, Justice and Coordination of actions against Transnational Organized Crime", and the split of the old COSECCTI in: Councils of Education; of Culture; and of Science, Technology and Innovation.

UNASUR

Report

South American Institute of Government in Health

Networks and Technical Groups articulate Quinquennial Plan in regional meetings Apart from Ministry level meetings, the South American Health Council’s Networks and Technical Groups have carried out meetings to put forward the 2010-2015 Quinquennial Plan’s agenda. Health Council’s members also took part in civil society meetings such as the Brazilian Congress of Collective Health (“Abrascão”) and the Latin American Congress of Social Medicine (“Alames”).

Last October, representatives of seven countries, among UNASUR 12 membercountries, held the II Meeting of the South American Network of Public Health Schools (Resp-Unasur), in Rio de Janeiro, to discuss the training of human resources in the region. Guyana and Uruguay attended the meeting and presented plans to create their own public health schools.

Access on bit.ly/CSSeng the Health Council Structure One month earlier, the Network of International Offices and International Cooperation in Health (Redssur-Oris) held a parallel meeting to the VII CSS Ordinary Meeting, in Lima (Peru). And, in July, the Network of National Cancer Institutes (Rinc-Unasur) celebrated its first year of operation having formed, during that period, five operative groups, among which are those of Control of Cervical Cancer and of Cancer Registry.

II Meeting of Networks and Technical Groups of ISAGS´ Consultative Council

In addition to the CSS Networks, the Technical Groups of the Council also had their own meetings. From October 31 to November 2, the II Meeting of the Technical Group on Health Promotion and Action on Social Determinants of Health was held in Bogota (Colombia) . The Technical Group on Development and Management of Human Resources in Health had two meetings, one in March, when it gathered representatives of the bloc 12 countries, and another one in November. And the Technical Group on Universal Access to Medicines, which discusses the mapping of medicines production capacity in the region and the creation of a drugs price database, gathered for the third time in april.

Bolivia and Colombia discuss their Health Systems Last October, Bolivia announced that it will hold its first National Conference for the

The 65th World Health Assembly, in Geneva, attends the unprecedented agreement of UNASUR countries, which held, under the Pro Tempore Presidency of Paraguay, an extraordinary meeting of the Health Council.

Signature of ISAGS Headquarters Agreement between Brazil’s Minister of Health and UNASUR Secretary-General and approval of ISAGS Triennial Plan 2012-2015 during the VI CSS Meeting, in Asunción, Paraguay.

April 20

Public and Free Health Revolution in March 5-8 2013, in the city of Tarija. The meeting will discuss the "universal access, free and of quality to health services for all the Bolivian people". The center lines of discussion should include Infrastructure, Human Resources, Universal Access, Communitarian and Intercultural Health, and the Restructuring of the Social Security System.

The Colombian Government, in turn, promotes a discussion about the reform of its Health System, with the creation of a single fund for health care financing. In July, President Juan Manuel Santos announced reforms in the system and declared the end of "health discrimination in Colombia". In December, the country National Board of Physicians, that congregates approximately 63 thousand professionals, presented a reform plan that protects health as a right and proposed the creation of a Unified Health System, financed by public funds, offering comprehensive health care assistance to the Colombians.

May 07 - 11

May 20 - 26

Workshop on Global Health and Health Diplomacy congregates, in ISAGS premises, regional organisms and diplomats to discuss agenda matters, the 65th World Health Assembly, as well as concepts and lines of action.

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Timeline 2012

June ISAGS transfers institutional memory from the South American Health Council to the Pro Tempore Presidency of Peru, which takes office on June 29 due to the suspension of Paraguay after Fernando Lugo dismissal.

Report

UNASUR

South American Institute of Government in Health

Institute releases book "Health Systems in South America ..."

ISAGS´ first anniversary ceremony, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (August)

ISAGS 1st anniversary in favor of health integration In late July, ISAGS celebrated its first year of operations at an event attended by UNASUR members’ representatives and had as objective to assess its activities, to consolidate an agenda of integration in health and to set goals for the future.

At that time, UNASUR was undergoing a trial by fire: the rupture of the democratic normality in Paraguay, its suspension and the transition "in haste" of the Pro Tempore Presidency to Peru. For its extensive work close to the presidencies of Uruguay and Paraguay, its active participation in the meetings of the South American Health Council as well as its information and knowledge management, ISAGS could play the role of the bloc‘s memory.

According to Eva Ruiz de Castilla, head of international relations of Peru’s Health Ministry, who visited ISAGS at the celebration of its first anniversary, "it is hard to climb to the position of Pro

Tempore Presidency of UNASUR Health, but not so much because of ISAGS collaboration". For her, all UNASUR councils should rely on a similar institute.

Since its foundation in July 2011, ISAGS has made progresses as for its institutionalization. The Health Council approved its budget, the Annual Operating Plan 2013 and the Triennial Work Plan, in addition to signing the Institute Headquarters Agreement between UNASUR Secretariat-General and the Brazilian Government.

More recently, ISAGS bylaw has been approved by the Council of Heads of State and Government, UNASUR highest body.

In all, in 2012, ISAGS performed three workshops and released the book "Health Systems in South America: challenges to the universality, integrality and fairness" see more about ISAGS in 2012 on the timeline.

Share the book´s album on bit.ly/SorteoIsags and participate in the raffle for a printed version of the publication

ISAGS releases the book "Health Systems in South America: challenges to the universality, integrality and equity", its first publication, containing a broad view of UNASUR countries health systems.

ISAGS celebrates its 1st anniversary with a ceremony that gathered representatives of UNASUR Member States, the Secretariat-General, the Pro Tempore Presidency, Structuring Networks and the press.

July 25

Last November, ISAGS released its first publication - the book "Health Systems in South America: challenges to the universality, integrality and equity" -, which was presented in the VII Meeting of the South American Health Council, in Lima, in september.

The result of the joint work of the 12 bloc countries governments, that took more than a year, presents a broad overview of the region Health Systems, highlighting the challenges posed to health care for South Americans that is guided by the principles of universality, integrality and equity.

According to ISAGS Director, José Gomes Temporão, "the work innovates in the approach and methodology of elaboration, being collectively written by the 12 health ministries of South America". The book is available for download on the link bit.ly/sistemasdesalud, and the kit for public release can be downloaded in bit.ly/KitIsags.

September 06

November 01

ISAGS Annual Operating Plan 2013 is approved at the VII Meeting of the South American Health Council.

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November 30 ISAGS Bylaw is approved at the VI Meeting of the Council of Heads of State and Government, which also praises the work of the Institute.

UNASUR

Report

South American Institute of Government in Health

AGENDA

ISAGS works to keep an updated global agenda.

Check some events scheduled for 2013.

Birmingham

Helsinki

8th Global Conference on Health Promotion - June

Millennium Development Goals Review Summit - May

152 Session of the PAHO/WHO Executive Committee - June 52nd PAHO/WHO´s Directing Council and 65th Session of the Regional Committee for the Americas - September nd

Geneva

Washington

Lima

Paramaribo

9th Meeting of the South American Health Council - 2nd semester Unasur Pro Tempore Presidency Transfer from Peru to Suriname - June

ASPA Ministers of Health Meeting 8th Meeting of the South American Health Council - 1st semester

Prague

20th World Conference on Family Medicine - June

Recife

3rd Global Forum on Human Resources for Health - November

Tarija

National Summit for the Revolution of Public and Free Healthcare - March

Rio de Janeiro

ISAGS´ Workshops: April, May, September and November

Santiago

2nd Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Global Health - January European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean Summit (EU-LAC) - January

17th Meeting of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee - January 18th Meeting of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee - May 66th Session of the World Health Assembly - May

Botswana

High-Level Meeting - NCDs and the Post-2015 Development Agenda - March

Montevideo

40th Meeting of MERCOSUR SGT Nº11 Health - April 34th Meeting of MERCOSUR Ministers of Health - June

Pan American Health Organization elects new Directress

WHO Reform and the Development Goals in the Global Health Agenda At the end of May, the 65th World Health Assembly closed reaffirming the urgency of WHO (World Health Organization) reform. The subject had been discussed in the workshop "Global Health and Health Diplomacy", held at ISAGS weeks before, and in which several points of consensus on the reform were agreed. The WHA session was chaired by the then Pro Tempore President of the South American Health Council, the Paraguayan Health Minister Esperanza Martinez, who, on behalf of all UNASUR countries advocated a kind of reform that isn’t limited to the forms of financing.

The WHO prominence was also reaffirmed in December at the UN General Assembly by means of the adoption of the

Esperanza Martínez is elected vice-president of the 65th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland (May)

resolution 36/67, which calls on member countries to develop universal access to health. The resolution, of great importance to the Global Health and Foreign Policy agenda, also recommends the inclusion of the topic in the post-2015 development discussions, which are being conducted at a UN High-Level Group. The Group was created in September, in line with what had been agreed during the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio + 20, held in June in Rio de Janeiro, and will discuss the definition of the Sustainable Goals.

MANAGEMENT OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE Coordinator: André Lobato.

Advisors: Amaro Grassi, Flávia Bueno e Manoel Giffoni comunicacao@isags-unasur.org

Held in Washington in September, the 28th Pan American Sanitary Conference ended with the election of the new PAHO/WHO Directress, the Dominican Carissa Etienne, who replaced Mirta Roses. After the release of the document "Health in the Americas 2012", showing the reduction of child mortality by two-thirds in the last decades, an Action Plan on Knowledge and Information Management was approved and several points of the action in health agenda for the next years were discussed.

Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General recognized the UNASUR countries social policies in her speech. On October 22-24 it was also held in Washington the Regional Congress of Information on Health Science, the Crics9, of which ISAGS took part by means of its Information and Knowledge Management Sector.