VIGISUS - Technical and Organizational reform of the National Health Foundation for the Unified Health System (SUS)

Project BRA/97/028 -- Start Year: 1998; Approved Budget: US$ 34,000,000; End Year: 2002 Implementing Agent: NEX (National Execution Related Projects); Executing Agent: Fundação National da Saúde - National Health Foundation

Project background and rationale: The Vigisus project aims at implementing a National System of Health Surveillance, creating technical, management and infrastructure conditions at the three different levels that compose the SUS – Unified Health System. Moreover, the project aims at contributing to the reorganization of the National Health Foundation, which is the point of departure for the reformulation of a new system of surveillance. Besides diagnostic assistance, this will operate in four programmatic areas, i.e.:

1. epidemiological surveillance;

2. environmental surveillance

3. prevention and control of diseases in the Amazonian region and

4. preservation of the health of the natives.

The reason for this reform is the low performance of the current surveillance system, which is characterized basically by:

1. the lack of an integrated approach and non optimization of the use of human and financial resources due to focusing on single diseases instead of public health in general;

2. under-notification of cases of diseases and consequent need of research on their magnitude and impact on public health;

3. the lack of qualified professional staff for surveillance actions;

4. the insufficiency of information at the disposal of the population, which should receive local educational campaigns.

The rationale of the involvement of UNDP is to support the VIGISUS project by providing technical assistance.

Project development goal: The present project aims at supporting the VISIGUS project launched by the Brazilian Health Ministry through the institutionalization, organization and implementation of the National Health Surveillance System in the capital cities of the 27 States and in 500 municipalities with more than 20.000 inhabitants within 2002.

Project immediate objectives and expected outputs: More specifically, this project aims at seven immediate objectives:

1. To train and prepare the unit of VIGISUS in charge of the project;

2. To train the professionals of the Unified Health System of the 27 States for the new tasks of surveillance they have been called to fulfill;

3. To train professionals of Portuguese-speaking countries and countries bordering Brazil on health surveillance;

4. To promote public awareness of disease prevention and environment protection in order to preserve public health;

5. To involve first and second degree schools of the recipient States and municipalities in preventive practices;

6. To implement an Information System; and

7. To put new technologies and knowledge at the disposal of the SUS.

Contact details: Fundação Nacional da Saúde, SAS Qd 4, Bl N, 4º andar, sala 419, 70.058-902 Brasília, D.F. Brazil sala 137, 70.047-900 Brasília, DF, Brazil