By ARACY PS BALBANI*
Educating the various social classes that use the SUS and raising awareness about practicing civic solidarity and the shared responsibility of taking care of everyone's assets is a challenge.
Acts of vandalism against public health facilities have been reported in all regions of Brazil. The damage caused varies: destruction of equipment and furniture; graffiti on recently painted walls; disconnection of the main power switch, rendering the stock of vaccines and other products that require refrigeration unusable; or the temporary interruption of services to repair damaged public property.
In an attempt to curb these crimes, which cause considerable damage to public coffers, many administrations install video surveillance cameras and alarm systems in as many locations as possible.
However, some attitudes on the part of some users of the universal health system, which are not as violent, also harm the service provided to the population and escape this vigilance.
There are those who throw used disposable cups and food scraps on the floor; put cigarette butts and empty packaging in plant pots and gardens, or dirty the health unit by resting their feet on the wall.
Even more problematic is the absence of pre-scheduled appointments and exams without notifying the health unit in time to fill the slot with another user who needs the same care. The consequence: waiting lines get longer, while professionals and equipment remain idle at certain times. Note: staff working in the private health sector face a similar situation.
There is much discussion about the causes of these uncivilized behaviors and ways to minimize them.
Educating the various social classes that use the SUS and raising awareness about practicing civic solidarity and the shared responsibility of taking care of everyone's assets is quite a challenge.
Despite the popularization of digital networks and smartphones, many people still believe that the SUS health units, as well as the rest of the state's assets, belong to the government and not to the people themselves. Hatred of a government or ruler can result in contempt for public facilities.
Prioritizing public health is not a habit in Brazilian culture. Artificial intelligence tools should be used to remind users of their appointments with the SUS and automatically confirm their attendance so as not to waste appointments.
The lack of interest of a significant portion of the population in participating in municipal health council meetings is chronic. Instead of exercising social control over the SUS, as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, many prefer to seek out councilors' offices to solve their individual or family health problems.
Several people who are absent from the democratic bodies of the SUS to demand rights and formulate public policies attend protests, not always peaceful, by radical political groups that take place in public spaces. They exhibit selfies participation in their profiles and communities. These events are usually planned, financed, convened and coordinated through the digital networks themselves.
Amid so many intricate questions that social psychology and political sciences try to elucidate, one important fact: on the most recent All Souls' Day holiday, there were no reports of large public acts in respect for the approximately 710.000 people who died from COVID-19 in Brazil.
Relevant initiatives to preserve the memory of these victims are still the Memorial installed in the Federal Senate in February 2022, and the commitment to open the COVID-19 Pandemic Memorial at the Cultural Center of the Ministry of Health in Rio de Janeiro.
At this time, the financial market is setting the agenda, the conservative wing of the National Congress is demanding and the Federal Government is considering a cut in public funds that could affect the SUS. At the same time, renowned researchers are pointing out the impact of climate change on human health and the permanent danger of scientific denialism.
The lack of collective memory of the greatest catastrophe in the history of Brazilian public health and the risk of budget cuts for Health raise the alarm: not all politicians, digital influencers and uncivilizable tycoons are also ineligible.
For our survival, there is no room for indifference. Democratic and organized citizen surveillance in defense of public health is increasingly necessary in the country.
*Aracy PS Balbani is an otorhinolaryngologist. She works as a specialist exclusively in the SUS in the interior of São Paulo..
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