The Secretariat of the Department of Employment and Health Education (SGTES), this Tuesday (20), in partnership with the Center for Studies and Research in Health Law (Cepedisa) of the University of São Paulo and the Pan American Health Organization (OPAS), implemented the practical and organizational challenges of implementing the Sanitation Profession Workshop. This event, held at the University of the South Pacific School of Public Health in São Paulo, aimed to discuss and formulate recommendations for the registration and supervision of professional practice in Brazil.
“The approval of Law No. 23/14725, which regulates the profession in the country, represents a milestone given the importance and contributions of public health workers to public health, but there are essential regulatory aspects for the full practice of the profession that have not yet been determined.” Not yet defined. Through this meeting, the Ministry of Health is committed to initiating discussions on the normative and administrative issues necessary for the full implementation of the law,” stated SGTES Secretary, Isabella Pinto.
The workshop participants sought to identify points requiring immediate regulation, scopes of practice, and discuss different registration possibilities, as well as possible scenarios for identifying the institution or body responsible for illegal regulation and supervision of professional practice in Brazil. Fernando Aez, Director of Cepedesa, added: “Based on the contributions obtained in the workshop, we will organize the information and prepare a document that can support the Ministry with scientific evidence and legal possibilities that contribute to regulating the profession.”
Duties
Law No. 14725, passed in November 2023, stipulates that public health professionals have the task of planning and coordinating collective health activities in the public and private spheres. According to the text, it is up to professionals to identify, research, monitor, record and report health risks, in order to ensure the control of health risks and problems of the population. Also according to the law, these professionals must have bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees in public health or have graduated from medical residency in the region. Those who hold a specialization certificate in the field can also practice the profession. Those graduating abroad must validate their degree in Brazil.
“This is a professional who can work in a wide-ranging manner throughout the health system, at all levels of care and also in management and governance roles. Today’s meeting represents an important advance in organizing the workforce in Brazil, as we discuss the necessary aspects so that these professionals can act in an organized way, with legal guarantee, aware of the potential they have in formulating, planning, implementing, evaluating and monitoring public health policies,” considered the Director of the Department of Health Action and Organization, Bruno Guimarães.
“It is a continuity of work in which many actors have been involved, from the creation of the Public Health degree in 2008 until today. For us, graduates in the region, the organization of this essential profession is a historic and hopeful milestone,” highlighted the President of the Bachelor of Health Association. General (Abasc), Elizabeth Alves.
In addition to representatives of the Ministry of Health, the event brought together experts from academia, members of the Brazilian Public Health Association (APRASCO), ABASC, the Institute of Applied Health Law (IDESA), and the Secretariat of Institutional Relations of the Presidency. Republic, among other institutions.
Fabiana Mascarenhas
Ministry of Health
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