The federal government plans to interconnect all indigenous health units in Brazil by the end of 2026, ensuring that all public establishments responsible for primary health care for the original peoples have access to quality internet.
“Our goal is to reach the end of next year with the universalization of connectivity in all indigenous health units in our country,” said the Ministry of Health’s National Secretary of Indigenous Health, Weib Tapeba in an interview with Brazil agencyon the eve of indigenous peoples.
>> WHO approves Brazil’s proposal to create indigenous health strategy
Celebrated this Saturday (19), the date promotes the diversity and richness of the cultures of the original peoples, as well as drawing attention to the struggle of almost 1.7 million Brazilians who, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), declare themselves indigenous, with ancestral bonds with one of the 305 ethnic groups identified in the country.
According to Weib, improve the connectivity of territories will allow, among other things, that the government implements the telesaud infrastructure in the communities, ensuring that indigenous people have access to expert doctors without having to leave their villages.
“This will also allow us to expand the technology of TeleSaúde, with which we can avoid the removal of indigenous patients out of the territories,” added the secretary.
Secretary of Indigenous Health (Sesai) of the Ministry of Health, Weibe Tapeba, said that more than 700 connectivity points have already been implemented. – Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil
Of the 34 current Special Indigenous Sanitary Districts (DSEIS), 19 already have the distance consultation service, which uses broadband internet of the Conecta Brasil program, from the Ministry of Communications. And that, according to MPI, reduces the displacement of patients, who can perform routine examinations and consultations with cardiologists, ophthalmologists, dermatologists, pneumologists and other experts from properly equipped bases. According to Sesai, the initiative has the potential to benefit over 781,000 indigenous people.
Strategically divided by territorial criteria, based on the geographical occupation of indigenous communities, DSEIs are decentralized management units of the Indigenous Health Care Subsystem (Sasisus). Each gathers a set of services and activities, provided through the Basic Indigenous Health Units (UBSIS), Base Poles and Indigenous Health Houses (couples).
Communication
“In addition to ensuring the inclusion of data [clínicos] in information systems [nacionais]the connectivity of health facilities is a way to allow health professionals who will work in these locations to contact their families, ”added Weib Tapeba when talking about the difficulty of keeping non -indigenous professionals in the distant territories of large urban centers.
“We have difficult territories, where recruitment is not an easy process, because the professional needs to virtually live in the territory for a long time, sometimes for months. Therefore, we have sought to improve and guarantee working conditions, including the infrastructure part,” said the secretary.
He detailed that more than 700 connectivity points have already been implemented and stressing that these and other folder initiatives require greater contribution of financial resources.
“We assumed the Secretariat [em 2023, primeiro ano da atual gestão federal] amid a dismantling scenario. Still during the transition [entre os governos Bolsonaro e Lula]the budget proposal sent to the National Congress provided for the cut of 59% of Sesai’s budget. We have not only been able to recompose the budget, but in the first two years, we increased the budget by about R $ 1 billion, ”said Weibe, detailing that R $ 500 million were landed by 2023, and another R $ 500 million in 2024, raising to about R $ 3 billion the total currently intended for the Single Health System (SUS) subsystem.
“It is the largest budget of indigenous health of all time. Even so, we have a repressed demand, a liability, especially in terms of infrastructure, especially in the area of basic sanitation,” admitted the secretary, stating that about 60% of indigenous territories in Brazil do not yet have access to drinking water.
“There are assistance voids. Places where health actions are the [única ou das poucas] Materialization of the presence of the Brazilian state. And with the amount available, we maintain about 22,000 indigenous health professionals and all indigenous health units; We invested in the sanitation system and cost the contracts that the special health districts [Dseis] maintains, which includes fosters and vehicle rental [para transporte de pacientes, profissionais e suprimentos”, disse o secretário, apontando que uma redução do orçamento disponível poderia inviabilizar a prestação do serviço de saúde para a população indígena.
“Temos um estudo que aponta que para darmos conta do passivo e resolvermos os vazios assistenciais, especialmente na Amazônia, seriam necessários quase duas vezes mais recursos do que os que já vínhamos recebendo. A necessidade real seria de cerca de R$ 5 bilhões ou R$ 6 bilhões”, frisou Weibe.
Atendimentos
De acordo com a Sesai, o número de atendimentos a indígenas, incluindo consultas médicas, vacinações, atendimentos odontológicos, entre outros serviços, vem aumentando ano após ano, tendo saltado de 9,18 milhões em 2018 para 17,31 milhões no ano passado.
Diante desse cenário, a Sesai tem buscado alternativas para otimizar a gestão e ampliar a assistência. “Começamos a reorganizar a secretaria, buscando apoio e parcerias com instituições; realizando termos de execução direta e TEDS [Termos de Execução Descentralizada] With universities and other instances of the Brazilian government, as well as technical cooperation agreements with important institutions, “concluded the secretary.
