Uncovering associations between interest in One Health and pre-existing conditions and behaviours: Evidence from a UK survey.

This paper endeavours to unveil individual characteristics associated with an interest in One Health. Through the distribution of an online survey randomly distributed among the United Kingdom population, we discovered significant correlations between pre-existing attitudes towards and relationships with nature and animals and interest in One Health, which is quantified by the number of additional pages of One Health information participants agreed to view at the survey's conclusion. Additionally, individuals with poorer mental health demonstrated a higher level of interest in One Health. The findings suggest that interest in One Health and people's connections with nature and animals are driven by the same personal preferences. These insights point towards the potential for more targeted communication strategies to specific groups, facilitating more effective promotion of the One Health concept.

The role of governance in shaping health system reform: a case study of the design and implementation of new health regions in Ireland, 2018-2023.

BACKGROUND: Effective governance arrangements are central to the successful functioning of health systems. While the significance of governance as a concept is acknowledged within health systems research, its interplay with health system reform initiatives remains underexplored in the literature. This study focuses on the development of new regional health structures in Ireland in the period 2018-2023, one part of a broader health system reform programme aimed at greater universalism, in order to scrutinise how aspects of governance impact on the reform process, from policy design through to implementation. METHODS: This qualitative, multi-method study draws on document analysis of official documents relevant to the reform process, as well as twelve semi-structured interviews with key informants from across the health sector. Interviews were analysed according to thematic analysis methodology. Conceiving governance as comprising five domains (Transparency, Accountability, Participation, Integrity, Capacity) the research uses the TAPIC framework for health governance as a conceptual starting point and as initial, deductive analytic categories for data analysis. RESULTS: The analysis reveals important lessons for policymakers across the five TAPIC domains of governance. These include deficiencies in accountability arrangements, poor transparency within the system and vis-à-vis external stakeholders and the public, and periods during which a lack of clarity in terms of roles and responsibilities for various process and key decisions related to the reform were identified. Inadequate resourcing of implementation capacity, competing policy visions and changing decision-making arrangements, among others, were found to have originated in and continuously reproduced a lack of trust between key institutional actors. The findings highlight how these challenges can be addressed through strengthening governance arrangements and processes. Importantly, the research reveals the interwoven nature of the five TAPIC dimensions of governance and the need to engage with the complexity and relationality of health system reform processes. CONCLUSIONS: Large scale health system reform is a complex process and its governance presents distinct challenges and opportunities for stakeholders. To understand and be able to address these, and to move beyond formulaic prescriptions, critical analysis of the historical context surrounding the policy reform and the institutional relationships at its core are needed.

COVID-19 vaccine intercountry distribution inequality and its underlying factors: a combined concentration index analysis and multiple linear regression analysis.

Introduction: Inequitable access to COVID-19 vaccines among countries is a pressing global health issue. Factors such as economic power, political power, political stability, and health system strength contribute to disparities in vaccine distribution. This study aims to assess the inequality in vaccine distribution among countries based on these factors and identify their relationship with COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Methods: A Concentration Index (CI) analysis was conducted to evaluate inequalities in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines among countries based on four separate variables: GDP per capita, political stability (PS), World Power Index (WPI), and Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Additionally, Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) analysis was employed to explore the relationship between vaccine distribution and these independent variables. Two vaccine distribution variables were utilized for result reliability. Results: The analysis revealed significant inequalities in COVID-19 vaccine distribution according to the countries' GDP/capita, PS, WPI, and UHC. However, the multiple linear regression analysis showed that there is no significant relationship between COVID-19 vaccine distribution and the countries' GDP/capita and that UHC is the most influential factor impacting COVID-19 vaccine distribution and accessibility. Discussion: The findings underscore the complex interplay between economic, political, and health system factors in shaping vaccine distribution patterns. To improve the accessibility to vaccines in future pandemics, Global Health Governance (GHG) and countries should consider working on three areas; enhance political stabilities in countries, separate the political power from decision-making at the global level and most importantly support countries to achieve UHC.

The urban political ecology of antimicrobial resistance: A critical lens on integrative governance.

The objective of this paper is to integrate Urban Political Ecology (UPE) as a theory for identifying under-exposed urban dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). A UPE lens allows us to conceptualize urbanization as a ubiquitous socio-ecological process and an interpretive frame that could inform AMR governance strategies across related contexts by: a) situating AMR risks in relation to urbanization processes shaping social and political co-determinants of such systemic threats as climate change; b) aligning UPE scholarship with One Health (OH) approaches that address AMR to reveal the under-exposed link of AMR to environmental threats and broader structural dimensions that influence these threats; and c) identifying shared AMR and environmental governance pathways that inform the rationale for more equitable governance arrangements. We delineate a context in which the speed and scale of human activity in the larger context of urbanization, driven by global market integration strategies, impacts human-animal-environmental health threats such as AMR. We demonstrate how UPE scholarship can be leveraged to offer theoretical depth to approaches considering the interdependencies of AMR and climate change threats. We then propose a strategic approach focused on identifying shared governance pathways and intersectoral accountability frameworks to address upstream structural drivers of AM-Environmental threats. The co-benefits of a UPE-informed framework to human-animal-environmental health that leverages enabling policy environments to foster a more collaborative, equitable and sustainable approach to address systemic global health threats are clarified. Just as the concept of "health in all policies" emphasized taking health implications into account in all public policy development, the integration of UPE in AMR governance arrangements would emphasize the need to take other sectors into account through an intersectoral whole-of-government approach that fosters shared AMR - climate change governance pathways.

HERA-lding More Integration in Health? Examining the Discursive Legitimation of the European Commission's New Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority.

CONTEXT: Since COVID-19, the European Commission (EC) has sought to expand its activities in health through the development of a 'European Health Union' and within it, the Health Emergencies Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). METHODS: We applied a discourse analysis on documents establishing HERA to investigate how the creation of this institution was legitimated by the EC. We focused on how it framed health emergencies; how it framed the added value of HERA; and how it linked HERA to existing EU activities and priorities. FINDINGS: Our analysis demonstrates that security-based logics have been central to the EC's legitimation of HERA - in alignment with a 'securitization of health' occurring worldwide in recent decades. This legitimation can be understood as part of the EC's effort to promote future integration in health in the absence of new competencies. CONCLUSIONS: Securitization has helped the EC raise its profile in health politically, without additional competencies, thereby laying the groundwork for potential future integration. Looking at the discursive legitimation of HERA sheds light not only on whether the EC is expanding its health powers, but also how it strategizes to do so. HERA, while constrained, allows the EC to further deepen security-driven integration in health.

Changing roles in global health governance following COVID-19.

Background: The Global Health Governance (GHG) response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been criticized, particularly regarding vaccine management, and changes in the roles of GHG actors have been recommended. Aim: To investigate the perception of experts regarding changes in the roles of different GHG actors following the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study used a 3-round Delphi survey to collect data from 30 global health experts between May and December 2022. The GHG roles investigated were stewardship, production of guidelines and policies, promotion of solidarity and collaboration, and management of global health challenges. Social network analysis was performed and collected data was converted into a 1-mode network. Degree centrality and Eigenvector centrality were calculated using the UCINET 6.757 modelling programme. Results: There were variations between the current and future roles in degree centrality and eigenvector centrality for the 19 GHG actors in each of the 4 functions investigated. For stewardship, WHO, governments and the World Bank had the highest degree centrality and eigenvector centrality during both the current and future periods. In terms of production of guidelines and policies, WHO maintained the highest current and future eigenvector centralities, while research agencies, UNICEF and Gavi upheld their current eigenvector centrality measure. For the promotion of solidarity and collaboration, WHO had the highest centrality measures, followed by UNICEF, governments and Gavi. Regarding the function "management of global health challenges", WHO lost its position to UNICEF as the most central, while UNDP, FHI 360 and research agencies were predicted to have a more central role in the future. Conclusion: The findings position WHO as the current and future top actor in stewardship, production of guidelines and policies, and promoting solidarity and collaboration, and UNICEF as the upcoming most central actor in managing global health challenges. Governments were major actors in all GHG functions except for managing global health challenges. Funding actors were central in all GHG functions, indicating finance as an important factor in obtaining a central role in GHG. Research organizations received a high centrality rating, indicating their importance in GHG.

The WHO Foundation in global health governance: Depoliticizing corporate philanthropy.

The creation of the WHO Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic represents a significant institutional development in the politics of financing the World Health Organization (WHO). In the context of longstanding acute financial pressures, the objective of the WHO Foundation is to widen WHO's resource base by attracting philanthropic donations from the commercial sector. In placing funding decisions 'at one remove' from WHO, the stated expectation is that the WHO Foundation will act as an intermediary, insulating the WHO from potential conflicts of interest and reputational risk through a combination of strategic distance from WHO and proximity with its norms and rules of engagement with non-state actors. Yet, whether this model has translated into practice remains understudied. In this article, we focus on emerging institutional practices within the WHO Foundation, highlighting a drift from its stated governance model. Based on analysis of WHO Foundation documents, we demonstrate how due diligence and transparency practices within the Foundation have been redesigned in ways that contradict or subvert its claims to applying alignment with WHO's governance norms, notably relating to its engagement with health harming industries such as alcohol and petrochemical companies. While this situation may seem paradoxical, we argue that, in placing funding decisions 'at one remove' from the formal institutions and structures of WHO, the creation of the Foundation has served to displace this issue to a more secluded arena where drifts in practice are less exposed to political oversight and scrutiny. Focusing on the discursive aspects of this process of depoliticisation, we contend that the Foundation has strategically managed 'fictional expectations' of accountable and transparent governance in order to mitigate concerns about its mandate and functions. This assessment provides new and important insights into the depoliticizing functions of the WHO Foundation and the significant implications this may have for global health governance.

China and the WHO pandemic treaty: a dive into stance, underpinnings, and implications.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed gaps in global health governance, catalyzing proposals for a new WHO pandemic treaty. This paper investigates China's stance on the treaty, recognizing it as reflective of many developing countries' concerns, through a qualitative analysis of its interventions during the treaty's drafting and negotiations and an examination of historical and geopolitical factors. Findings reveal China's emphasis on respecting state sovereignty, differentiated obligations for developing nations, preventing stigma, and concrete capacity building-concerns shared across the Global South. Its posture balances pragmatism and principle, reflecting differentiated responsibilities as a major power and developing country along with philosophical divergences from Western legal thinking. While endorsing global cooperation, China insists on voluntary terms without impinging on policy space. Implications suggest that accommodating China's concerns about invasive compliance mechanisms and inequitable burdens through flexible provisions can shape the treaty's acceptance and architecture. Creative solutions reconciling sovereignty and collective action combined with concrete equity measures and depoliticized cooperation will determine the treaty's success. China's major role indicates its endorsement, representative of the Global South's voice, is essential for an impactful pandemic treaty and reformed global health governance.

The Intersections of COVID-19 Global Health Governance and Population Health Priorities: Equity-Related Lessons Learned From Canada and Selected G20 Countries.

Background: COVID-19-related global health governance (GHG) processes and public health measures taken influenced population health priorities worldwide. We investigated the intersection between COVID-19-related GHG and how it redefined population health priorities in Canada and other G20 countries. We analysed a Canada-related multilevel qualitative study and a scoping review of selected G20 countries. Findings show the importance of linking equity considerations to funding and accountability when responding to COVID-19. Nationalism and limited coordination among governance actors contributed to fragmented COVID-19 public health responses. COVID-19-related consequences were not systematically negative, but when they were, they affected more population groups living and working in conditions of vulnerability and marginalisation. Policy options and recommendations: Six policy options are proposed addressing upstream determinants of health, such as providing sufficient funding for equitable and accountable global and public health outcomes and implementing gender-focused policies to reduce COVID-19 response-related inequities and negative consequences downstream. Specific programmatic (e.g., assessing the needs of the community early) and research recommendations are also suggested to redress identified gaps. Conclusion: Despite the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, programmatic and research opportunities along with concrete policy options must be mobilised and implemented without further delay. We collectively share the duty to act upon global health justice.

HIV/AIDS, SARS, and COVID-19: the trajectory of China's pandemic responses and its changing politics in a contested world.

The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the contested politics of global health governance, though we still don't know enough about the dynamics of domestic pandemic responses, or about the relationship between the politics of those responses and the politics of global health governance, both of which have changed significantly in recent decades. Focusing on three cases (HIV/AIDS, SARS, and COVID-19) of cross-border infectious diseases, this article explores the trajectory of China's pandemic responses in the context of globalization. Attending to changing politics at domestic, international, and global levels, I argue that those responses have been a complex combination of China's domestic politics (e.g., priorities, institutions, leadership, and timing), its international relations (especially with the US), and its engagements with global health governance. It is concluded that the increasing divergence of pandemic responses in a time of ubiquitous global health crisis demands urgent attention to the connections (including contestations) between domestic pandemic responses and the evolvement of global health governance from a broader perspective that considers changes in geopolitics.

Integrated health reporting within the UN architecture: learning from maternal, newborn and child health.

Despite a proliferation of the United Nations General Assembly high-level meetings on a range of health issues and developmental challenges, global funding continues to flow disproportionately to HIV and maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH). Using the experience of MNCH, this short article argues that successful human rights framing and the development of robust and regular reporting mechanisms in the international development architecture has contributed to these areas receiving attention. Taking non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as an example of a relatively neglected health area, we propose mechanisms that would improve integrated reporting of health issues in a way that aligns with the move toward cross-cutting themes and matching political and financial commitments with impact. As new frameworks are being developed to support multi-agency approaches to achieving SDG 3-including reporting and accountability-there are opportunities to ensure MNCH and NCDs jointly seek data collection measures that can support specific targets and indicators that link NCDs with early childhood development.

Rethinking the World Health Organization's leadership of global health governance and the global health surveillance systems.

Global health governance is a strategic priority for the World Health Organization (WHO), and the public health surveillance system (PHSS) is a fundamental element of the global health governance structure to timely identify emerging diseases and guide global public health decisions and actions. This analysis explores the overall landscape of global health governance, with a specific focus on the PHSS to understand whether the existing governance landscape facilitates or undermines the WHO's ability to formulate and implement global health policies and initiatives. To achieve this, the existing evidence was reviewed, and synthesized with the experts' perspectives. It is reported that fragmentation is the main drawback of the global health governance landscape, necessitating reorganization and restructuring. The disintegration of PHSS at the global, regional and local levels is associated with a lack of leadership, misalignment with global health priorities, imbalance in coverage of surveillance systems, inadequate innovative technology and digitalization, and fragmented data and information systems. The fragmentation and disintegration of global health governance undermine the effectiveness of the WHO's global health strategic directions and programmes and hinder its ability to govern and guide the global, regional and national public health emergency response. Strategic rethinking of the WHO's governance is essential because strong governance and leadership lead to a robust, aligned and effective PHSS.

Challenges in international health financing and implications for the new pandemic fund.

BACKGROUND: The failures of the international COVID-19 response highlighted key gaps in pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). The G20 and WHO have called for additional funding of $10.5 billion per year to adequately strengthen the global PPR architecture. In response to these calls, in 2022 the World Bank announced the launch of a new Financial Intermediary Fund (The Pandemic Fund) to catalyse this additional funding. However, there is considerable unclarity regarding the governance makeup and financial modalities of the Pandemic Fund, and divergence of opinion about whether the Fund has been successfully designed to respond to key challenges in global health financing. METHODS/RESULTS: The article outlines eight challenges associated with global health financing instruments and development aid for health within the global health literature. These include misaligned aid allocation; accountability; multistakeholder representation and participation; country ownership; donor coherency and fragmentation; transparency; power dynamics, and; anti-corruption. Using available information about the Pandemic Fund, the article positions the Pandemic Fund against these challenges to determine in what ways the financing instrument recognizes, addresses, partially addresses, or ignores them. The assessment argues that although the Pandemic Fund has adopted a few measures to recognise and address some of the challenges, overall, the Pandemic Fund has unclear policies in response to most of the challenges while leaving many unaddressed. CONCLUSION: It remains unclear how the Pandemic Fund is explicitly addressing challenges widely recognized in the global health financing literature. Moreover, there is evidence that the Pandemic Fund might be exacerbating these global financing challenges, thus raising questions about its potential efficacy, suitability, and chances of success. In response, this article offers four sets of policy recommendations for how the Pandemic Fund and the PPR financing architecture might respond more effectively to the identified challenges.

Improving health literacy using the power of digital communications to achieve better health outcomes for patients and practitioners.

Digital communication tools have demonstrated significant potential to improve health literacy which ultimately leads to better health outcomes. In this article, we examine the power of digital communication tools such as mobile health apps, telemedicine and online health information resources to promote health and digital literacy. We outline evidence that digital tools facilitate patient education, self-management and empowerment possibilities. In addition, digital technology is optimising the potential for improved clinical decision-making, treatment options and communication among providers. We also explore the challenges and limitations associated with digital health literacy, including issues related to access, reliability and privacy. We propose leveraging digital communication tools is key to optimising engagement to enhance health literacy across demographics leading to transformation of healthcare delivery and driving better outcomes for all.

Implementation of direct health facility financing in the rural District of Kigoma in Western Tanzania.

The adoption of decentralization by devolution in Tanzania has enabled the implementation of a Direct Health Facility Financing (DHFF) program in the facilities. While copious gains have been reported under DHFF, there are also notable failures to improve health service provision. This study aims to explore the experience of implementing the DHFF program in the rural areas of the Kigoma District Council. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted in Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities of the Kigoma District Council. A purposive sampling technique was used to draw 21 key informants including leaders of health facilities and members of the Health Facility Governing Committees (HFGC). Key Informant Interviews (KII) were used to solicit information from the study participants. Content analysis technique was used to analyze data collected from study participants. Our findings present enablers and barriers in the implementation of DHFF. Successful implementation of DHFF was enabled by the availability of formal training and supportive supervision, adherence to DHFF guidelines, availability of planning guidelines at the health facility, functionality of the HFGC, and adherence to the procurement process. A low sense of ownership of the program, delays and insufficient fund disbursement, shortage of health workers, and inadequate knowledge of DHFF program implementation emerged as the barriers that impeded successful program implementation. Evaluating the implementation experience of the DHFF program requires policymakers at the national level to devise a mechanism for the timely disbursement of funds, reinforcing capacity building to increase the autonomy of health facilities in their daily operations. Furthermore, structural and operational barriers warrant further operational and implementation research.

COVID-19-related global health governance and population health priorities for health equity in G20 countries: a scoping review.

Since the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion of health equity including the health of various population sub-groups has been compromised, human rights jeopardised, and social inequities further exacerbated. Citizens worldwide, including in the Group of 20 (G20) countries, were affected by both global health governance (GHG) processes and decisions and public health measures taken by governments to respond to COVID-19. While it is critical to swiftly respond to COVID-19, little is known about how and to what extent the GHG is affecting population health priorities for health equity in global economies such as the G20 countries. This scoping review synthesised and identified knowledge gaps on how the COVID-19-related GHG is affecting population health priorities for policy, programme, and research in G20 countries. We followed the five-stage scoping review methodology promoted by Arksey and O'Malley and the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. We searched four bibliographic databases for references conducted in G20 countries and regions and published in English and French, between January 2020 and April 2023. Out of 4,625 references and after two phases of screening, 14 studies met the inclusion criteria. G20 countries included in the review were Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and the European Union. We found insufficient collaboration and coordination and misalignment among governance actors at multiple levels. In most cases, equity considerations were not prioritised while unequal consequences of COVID-19 public health measures on population groups were widely reported. COVID-19-related population health priorities mainly focused on upstream and midstream determinants of health. Our scoping review showed the stark inequities of COVID-19 public health outcomes, coupled with a prevalent lack of coherent collaboration and coordination among governance actors. Moreover, governance as an object of empirical study is still emerging when examining its intersection with global health and population health policy, programme, and research. An urgent shift is required to effectively act upon structural health determinants that include transformative and comprehensive policies for prevention, equity, resilience, and sustainable health.

Estilos de liderazgo en profesionales sanitarios peruanos

Fundamento: el liderazgo representa un rasgo importante que debe poseer toda persona encargada de dirigir un grupo. Los cambios organizacionales generados en las oficinas farmacéuticas deben ser asumidos mediante un estilo de liderazgo que permita alcanzar los objetivos y metas planteadas, con el fin de asegurar y optimizar la atención sanitaria. Objetivo: determinar los estilos de liderazgo en profesionales Químico-Farmacéuticos que laboran en establecimientos públicos y privados de la ciudad de Trujillo (Perú). Métodos: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal que incluyó 94 profesionales colegiados que se desempeñan como directores técnicos. En la recolección de datos se empleó como técnica la encuesta y como instrumento al cuestionario Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire , que constó de 36 preguntas en escala de Likert, distribuidas en tres dimensiones: liderazgo transformacional, transaccional y correctivo/pasivo/evitador. Resultados: el 82, 9 % de los profesionales laboran como directores técnicos en el sector privado; el 57, 4 % son del género femenino y más del 60 % presentan un nivel alto de liderazgo. Unidos ambos sectores, los estilos de liderazgo transformacional y transaccional de nivel alto estuvieron presente en un 28,7 % y 61, 7 %, respectivamente; el liderazgo correctivo/pasivo/evitador de nivel medio estuvo presente en 72, 3 % de los profesionales. Asimismo, el liderazgo transformacional de nivel alto estuvo presente en 62, 5 % de los que trabajan en el sector público y en 56, 4 % de los del sector privado; el estilo de liderazgo correctivo/pasivo/evitador en un nivel medio estuvo presente en más del 60 % de los profesionales de ambos sectores. Conclusiones: el estilo de liderazgo más predominante fue el transaccional.

Foundation: leadership represents an important trait that must be presented by every person in charge of directing a group of people. The organizational changes generated in pharmaceutical offices must be assumed through a leadership style that allows achieving the objectives and goals set, in order to ensure and optimize health care. Objective: to determine the Chemist-Pharmaceutical professionals' leadership styles who work in public and private establishments in the city of Trujillo (Peru). Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study that included 94 collegiate professionals who work as technical directors. In data collection, the survey was used as a technique and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) as an instrument, which consisted of 36 questions on a Likert scale, distributed in three dimensions: transformational, transactional, and corrective/avoidant leadership. Results: 82.9 % of the professionals work as technical directors in the private sector; 57.4 % are female and more than 60 % have a high level of leadership. Together both sectors, the high-level transformational and transactional leadership styles were present in 28.7 % and 61.7 %, respectively; mid-level corrective/passive/avoidant leadership was present in 72.3 % of the professionals. Likewise, high-level transformational leadership was present in 62.5 % of those who work in the public sector and in 56.4 % of those in the private sector; the corrective/passive/avoidant leadership style at a medium level was present in more than 60 % of the professionals in both sectors. Conclusions: the most predominant leadership style was transactional.

Urban Governance, Multisectoral Action, and Civic Engagement for Population Health, Wellbeing, and Equity in Urban Settings: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: To identify the validated and reliable indicators and tools to assess good governance for population health, wellbeing, and equity in urban settings, and assess processes of multisectoral action and civic engagement as reported by peer-reviewed articles. Methods: We conducted a systematic review searching six databases for observational studies reporting strategies of either urban health, multisectoral action or civic engagement for wellbeing, health, or equity. Results: Out of 8,154 studies initially identified we included 17. From the included studies, 14 presented information about high-income countries. The general population was the main target in most studies. Multisectoral action was the most frequently reported strategy (14 studies). Three studies used Urban Health Equity Assessment and Response Tool (Urban HEART). Health indicators were the most frequently represented (6 studies). Barriers and facilitators for the implementation of participatory health governance strategies were reported in 12 studies. Conclusion: Data on the implementation of participatory health governance strategies has been mainly reported in high-income countries. Updated and reliable data, measured repeatedly, is needed to closely monitor these processes and further develop indicators to assess their impact on population health, wellbeing, and equity.

Índice de Dependência Regional e Macrorregional: uma contribuição ao processo de regionalização do SUS / Regional and Macro-regional Dependency Index: A contribution to the SUS regionalization process

RESUMO O estudo aborda a interdependência das regiões e macrorregiões de saúde no Brasil nas internações de média e alta complexidade, no ano de 2019. Foi realizada a análise dos fluxos estabelecidos, utilizando o Índice de Dependência Regional e Macrorregional, a partir de dados secundários do Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) obtidos no Sistema de Informação Hospitalar. Os resultados demonstram que grande parte das regiões e macrorregiões de saúde absorvem em seus territórios as internações de média complexidade, com variações entre as especialidades. Nas internações de alta complexidade, a maioria das regiões de saúde apresenta grande dependência, sendo que a assistência está concentrada em 15% delas. Entre as macrorregiões de saúde, o cenário é significativamente heterogêneo, com dependência expressiva nas regiões Norte, Nordeste e Centro-Oeste, e alta resolutividade na região Sul. Em todas as análises, o porte populacional das regiões e macrorregiões de saúde apresenta relação inversa à dependência regional e macrorregional. O aprimoramento da regionalização pressupõe a organização de uma rede de atenção à saúde que considere as desigualdades e as diversidades territoriais, a interdependência e a autonomia entre os territórios e os atores implicados, e a coordenação entre as unidades federativas, de modo a garantir cuidado integral e equânime.

ABSTRACT The study addresses the interdependency between health regions and macro-regions in Brazil in 2019, concerning both medium and high complexity hospitalizations. The analysis of the flows established was carried out using the Regional and Macro-regional Dependency Index, based on secondary data provided by the Hospital Information System of the Unified Health System (SUS). The results show that a significant number of health regions and macro-regions absorb medium-complexity hospitalizations in their territories, varying according to specialties. In high-complexity hospitalizations, most health regions are highly dependent, assistance concentrated in 15% of these. Among health macro-regions, the scenario is significantly heterogeneous: highly dependent on the North, Northeast and Midwest Regions, and highly resolutive in the South Region. Analyses show that the population size of health regions and macro-regions is inversely related to the regional and macro-regional dependency. The improvement of regionalization requires an organized health care network, one that takes into account territorial inequalities and diversities, interdependency and autonomy among the territories and actors involved, and inter-federative coordination, so as to provide care that is both comprehensive and equitable.

[Strengthening regional governance and the health care network in small municipalities in BrazilFortalecimiento de la gobernanza regional y de la red de atención de salud en municipios pequeños de Brasil]. / Fortalecimento da governança regional e da rede de atenção à saúde em municípios pequenos no Brasil.

In Brazil, 67.7% of the municipalities are characterized as small, with a population of less than 20 thousand. The objective of this article is to systematize the experience and identify the challenges and lessons learned in the implementation of the model for strengthening regional governance and organizing the health care network (HCN) in a region of Brazil composed of these municipalities, which present low technical and budgetary capacity, in addition to various fragilities related to the organization of the HCN. With a view to strengthening regional governance and the organization of the primary health care (PHC) work process and, consequently, the workflow with other levels of care, a strategy entitled More Care More Health (Mais Cuidado Mais Saúde) was proposed, developed in partnership with the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and the Ministry of Health. The project was developed through permanent health education and institutional capacity building in the region of Ivaiporã, state of Paraná, based on workshops and addressing three priority axes: HCN integration, capacity building and information management. The target audience were the extended PHC teams. The project made it possible to develop local and governance capacities through joint reflections on the health care model, its components and the necessary changes in work processes for health promotion with a focus on the quality of life of users. Because it is an experience that considers the weaknesses, needs and autonomy of local actors, the project has a high potential for replication and customization for other regions with similar characteristics inside and outside Brazil.

En Brasil, 67,7% de los municipios se clasifican como pequeños, puesto que tienen menos de 20 000 habitantes. El objetivo de este artículo es sistematizar la experiencia adquirida y determinar cuáles son los desafíos y las enseñanzas extraídas en la implementación del modelo de fortalecimiento de la gobernanza regional y de la organización de la red de atención de salud en una región de Brasil compuesta por municipios de este tipo, que tienen poca capacidad técnica y presupuestaria y diversas debilidades relacionadas con la organización de dicha red. Desde la perspectiva del fortalecimiento de la gobernanza regional y de la organización del proceso de trabajo en el campo de la atención primaria de salud y, por consiguiente, de los flujos asistenciales con los demás niveles de atención, se propuso la estrategia Más cuidado, más salud, formulada junto con la Organización Panamericana de la Salud/Organización Mundial de la Salud (OPS/OMS) y el Ministerio de Salud. El proyecto se ejecutó por medio de procesos de educación permanente en salud y fortalecimiento de las capacidades institucionales en la región de Ivaiporã, Estado de Paraná, con talleres descentralizados, dentro de tres ejes prioritarios, a saber, integración de red de atención de salud, capacitación y gestión de la información. El público destinatario fueron los equipos de atención primaria de salud ampliada. El proyecto permitió el desarrollo de las capacidades locales y la gobernanza regional por medio de reflexiones conjuntas sobre el modelo de atención de salud, sus elementos constitutivos y los cambios necesarios en los procesos de trabajo para impulsar la promoción de la salud centrada en la calidad de vida de los usuarios. Por tratarse de una experiencia en la cual se tienen en cuenta las debilidades, las necesidades y la autonomía de los actores locales, el proyecto tiene un alto poder de repetición y adaptación en otras regiones con características similares dentro y fuera de Brasil.