Política industrial farmacéutica, un requisito clave para la autonomía sanitaria de Colombia

Colombia depende de la importación de medicamentos, así como de gran parte de los materiales (principios activos y excipientes) requeridos para su elaboración; problemática que genera consecuencias sanitarias y macroeconómicas, las cuales se agudizan en el contexto de desindustrialización nacional y de disrupción tecnológica. De esta manera, se acepta que la disponibilidad y acceso a medicamentos y otras tecnologías sanitarias esenciales son un requisito fundamental para alcanzar la autonomía sanitaria de un país. Por lo tanto, resulta imprescindible coordinar esfuerzos entre diversos sectores sociales para desarrollar una agenda pública enfocada a la creación de condiciones que fortalezcan las capacidades científicas y tecnológicas de la industria farmacéutica local, y con ello, mejorar el suministro farmacéutico del país. En el presente documento se presentan conceptos teóricos y prácticos que deberían ser considerados en la definición y materialización de una política pública encaminada a fortalecer la industria farmacéutica y favorecer la autonomía sanitaria de Colombia.

Colombia has a notorious dependency on the importation of medicines, as well as a large part of the materials (active ingredients and excipients) required for their manufacture. This problem generates health and macroeconomic consequences, which are exacerbated in the context of national deindustrialization and technological disruption. In this way, it is accepted that the availability and access to medicines and other essential health technologies are a fundamental requirement to achieve the health autonomy of a country. Therefore, it is crucial to coordinate efforts between several social sectors to develop a public agenda focused on creating conditions that allow strengthening the scientific and technological capabilities of the local pharmaceutical industry, thereby, improving the country's pharmaceutical supply. This document presents conceptual and practical topics that should be considered to defining and materializing a public policy aimed at strengthening the local pharmaceutical industry and favoring Colombia's sanitary autonomy.

The role of payment and financing in achieving health equity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to identify healthcare payment and financing reforms to promote health equity and ways that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) may promote those reforms. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SETTING: AHRQ convened a payment and financing workgroup-the authors of this paper-as part of its Health Equity Summit held in July 2022. This workgroup drew from its collective experience with healthcare payment and financing reform, as well as feedback from participants in a session at the Health Equity Summit, to identify the evidence base and promising paths for reforms to promote health equity. STUDY DESIGN: The payment and financing workgroup developed an outline of reforms to promote health equity, presented the outline to participants in the payment and financing session of the July 2022 AHRQ Health Equity Summit, and integrated feedback from the participants. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS: This paper did not require novel data collection; the authors collected the data from the existing evidence base. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The paper outlines root causes of health inequity and corresponding potential reforms in five domains: (1) the differential distribution of resources between healthcare providers serving different communities, (2) scarcity of financing for populations most in need, (3) lack of integration/accountability, (4) patient cost barriers to care, and (5) bias in provider behavior and diagnostic tools. CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is necessary to determine whether the proposed reforms are effective in promoting health equity.

The curious case of extinction of family physicians from the Indian Health System - An open letter to the members of the National Medical Commission: Draft competency-based medical education curriculum regulations 2023 - Complete exclusion of family physicians/family medicine education from the MBBS course curriculum!

In 2012, India Today, a news agency, reported that 'Family Physicians are dying silent death' in India. The number of practicing family physicians is declining rapidly in the most populous country in the world with pressing public health needs. The previous generation of general practitioners/family physicians/family doctors has entered the age group of the seventies and eighties in both urban and rural areas. Unfortunately, no new family physician is opening the practice in these areas. The recent COVID pandemic has clearly demonstrated the ongoing need, demand, and popularity of family physicians among the general public as first-contact dependable and trustworthy doctors. While it may be an enigma why MBBS doctors are no longer opting to become family physicians, to the experts of this domain, it is not a surprise. To outside observers, this phenomenon may appear to be an outcome of changing times, the expansion of medical sciences, new emerging career choices for medical students, or competition within the healthcare market. However, a closer study reveals that the decline of family physician services in India is not a default situation but an outcome of decades of institutional neglect and perhaps a deliberate exclusion. According to the recently released National Medical Commission (NMC) draft curriculum 2023, the undergraduate medical education program is designed with the national goal of creating an "Indian Medical Graduate" possessing the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, and responsiveness so that she or he may function appropriately and effectively as a PHYSICIAN OF FIRST CONTACT of the community while being globally relevant. However, we are disappointed to note that the Family Medicine subject (discipline of family physicians) component has been entirely excluded from the draft of the MBBS curriculum. The words such as 'Family medicine', 'Family Physician', 'General practitioners', and 'Family Practice' have not even been mentioned in the entire 83 pages of the draft MBBS curriculum document. This is not an inadvertent occurrence or a default situation. The erstwhile MCI, the Medical Council of India, played a significant role in diminishing the role of family physicians in the Indian health system. It is to be seen if the NMC is able to reverse this trend by easing the regulatory restrictions on family physicians/family medicine training by including it in the MBBS course.

Comparative Analysis on the Policy Approaches in the National Dementia Plans of G7 Countries and Korea and Their Implementation.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a global action plan for dementia and aimed to have 75% of their member states formulating National Dementia Plans (NDPs) by 2025. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) proposed the ten key objectives of dementia policy in 2015. Among previous studies on NDPs, few studies have investigated measures for proper implementation of NDPs. This study aimed to compare the implementation basis and specific action plans of NDPs between the G7 countries and South Korea. METHODS: We investigated the measures for proper implementation of the NDPs of G7 countries and South Korea. To compare the specific policy approaches, the seven action areas of the WHO action plan and the ten key objectives of dementia policy proposed by the OECD were integrated into 11 targets (prevention, diagnosis, awareness, caregiver support, appropriate environments, long-term care, health service, end-of-life care, care coordination, research and technology, information systems). RESULTS: Although most NDPs included specific action plans of the 11 targets, caregiver support, safe environments, healthcare services, and end-of-life care were lacking in some NDPs. For implementation, some countries reinforced the policy priority of their NDPs by timely updates, evaluation, legislations, or head-of-state leadership. However, only three countries had a legislative basis, and three countries included outcome measures in their latest NDP. CONCLUSION: Effective measures for feasible implementation are needed. The WHO should promote not only the establishment of NDPs, but also their proper implementation.

Young Child Undernutrition: Crucial to Prioritize Nutrition Interventions in the First 1000 Days of Life.

The implications of young childhood undernutrition on health, development and productivity are grave. In the last two decades, global and Indian studies on undernutrition in under five years have concluded that stunting and underweight rate increases steadily between 0-24 mo, and then stabilises. The available evidence highlights the significance of concentrating interventions to tackle child undernutrition in the first 1000 d of life, which should aim at universal coverage of essential nutrition interventions (ENIs) and maternal-child health care package comprising maternal nutrition care, adoption of appropriate infant and young child feeding practices (IYCF), iron-folic acid supplementation, immunization, deworming, appropriate management of childhood illness etc. Additionally, it is critical to address context specific nutrition sensitive measures such as socio-economic empowerment of women, preventing domestic violence, adolescent conception, appropriate water -sanitation-hygiene and family planning services etc. Mapping of the 'at risk' households having a member falling in the 1000 d window needs special attention and is central to the ongoing efforts in India through the National Nutrition Mission/ POSHAN Abhiyaan. However, for effective implementation, there is an urgent need to consider to shift the lead responsibility of ENIs in the first 1000 d of life to the health care system in India and strategize to integrate maternal nutrition care interventions and establishing of IYCF practices by ensuring optimum use of contacts with antenatal care and routine child immunization services.

Prioridades nacionales de investigación en salud bucal, Perú 2022-2026: proceso, experiencias y perspectivas / National priorities for oral health research, Peru 2022-2026: process, experiences and perspectives

El Instituto Nacional de Salud, ha llevado a cabo por primera vez el proceso de identificación de Prioridades Nacionales de Investigación en Salud Bucal a cargo de la Subdirección de Investigación y Laboratorios de Enfermedades No Transmisibles del Centro Nacional de Salud Pública con la asesoría técnica de la Dirección de Investigación e Innovación en Salud y en coordinación con la Dirección Ejecutiva de Salud Bucal de la Dirección General de Intervenciones Estratégicas en Salud Pública del Ministerio de Salud mediante metodología participativa de tres actores claves: investigadores/especialistas, expertos y decisores. El objetivo de este artículo es describir el proceso seguido para la identificación de estas prioridades, el cual comprendió cinco fases: i) identificación de objetivos estratégicos del MINSA, ii) identificación de necesidades de investigación en salud bucal, iii) revisión por expertos y valoración de las necesidades según criterios, iv) priorización (valoración de la lista de prioridades según calificación) y v) presentación de las prioridades. Como resultado se obtuvieron las 12 prioridades que posteriormente fueron aprobadas por Resolución Ministerial N.° 262-2022/MINSA, con un periodo de vigencia 2022-2026. Además, se brindaron recomendaciones para futuros procesos.

The National Institute of Health has, for the first time, identified National Priorities for Oral Health Research, this process was carried out by the Subdirectorate of Research and Laboratories of Noncommunicable Diseases of the National Center for Public Health with the technical advice of the Directorate of Research and Innovation in Health and in coordination with the Executive Directorate of Oral Health of the General Directorate of Strategic Interventions in Public Health of the Ministry of Health, using a participatory methodology with three key actors: researchers/specialists, experts and decision-makers. This article aims to describe the process used to identify these priorities, which consisted of five phases: i) identification of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Health, ii) identification of needs in oral health research, iii) review by experts and assessment of needs according to criteria and v) presentation of the priorities. As a result, 12 priorities were obtained, which were subsequently approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 262-2022/MINSA, for a period of 2022-2026. In addition, we provide recommendations for future processes.

The Prevalence of Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies and High Levels of Non-Essential Heavy Metals in Saudi Arabian Adults.

Although the micronutrient status of a population is of high national priority, as it critically impacts public health, limited data is available for quantifying the micronutrient status in Saudi Arabia. We aimed to provide comprehensive, epidemiological, descriptive data regarding micronutrient levels in Saudi adults. This cross-sectional study included 3432 adults aged ≥18 years (mean age, 37.7 ± 11.7 years; women, 51.2%) across all 13 Saudi administrative regions (March 2019-November 2021). Laboratory data for 14 micronutrients (8 vitamins, 4 minerals, and 2 nonessential heavy metals) were characterized using descriptive analysis. Vitamin D deficiency (64.3%) was the most prevalent, followed by vitamin B2 (44.9%) and A (9.6%) deficiencies. Among minerals, iron deficiency was the most prevalent (23.2%), followed by zinc (15.3%) and copper (8.7%) deficiencies. Most Saudi adults exhibited normal arsenic (99.7%) and mercury (99.9%) levels. Men exhibited significantly higher vitamin B2, B9, and D deficiencies than women, while women exhibited higher vitamin A, B12, iron, and zinc deficiencies than men. Younger adults demonstrated a significantly higher prevalence of vitamin D and iron deficiencies, whereas older adults exhibited a higher prevalence of vitamin B1 and magnesium deficiencies. As micronutrient deficiencies are a public health concern, health policies and programs need to be developed and implemented to address them.

Programa Mais Médicos e as comunidades indígenas do Norte da Bahia: relato de experiência / The Mais Médicos Program and the indigenous communities of Northern Bahia: experience report / Programa Más Médicos y las comunidades indígenas del Norte de Bahía: reporte de experiencia

As ações para construção de um modelo de prestação de serviços de saúde para a população indígena só foram intensificadas em 2002, quando foi criada a Política Nacional de Saúde dos Povos Indígenas. Dessa forma, ocorreu a utilização de profissionais oriundos do Projeto Mais Médicos nos Distritos Sanitários Especiais Indígenas. Assim, este trabalho descreve a experiência de profissionais do Projeto Mais Médicos para o Brasil em comunidades indígenas do norte da Bahia, no polo de Paulo Afonso. Essas comunidades se caracterizam por baixas condições socioeconômicas de maneira geral e os povos indígenas do sertão do nordeste brasileiro são amplamente afetados pelo processo de urbanização. Durante o programa, foi possível perceber que as comunidades indígenas já trazem consigo os efeitos psicológicos das lutas territoriais, dos históricos de repressão violenta e da persistente cultura preconceituosa por parte do não indígena. Além disso, são evidentes o empenho e a dedicação do médico bolsista do Projeto Mais Médicos, bem como seu interesse em gerar cuidados para as comunidades tradicionais indígenas de seu polo de atuação, no entanto, vale ressaltar que mesmo após tantos anos da implementação do Projeto Mais Médicos, existe uma grande dificuldade no preenchimento de vagas destinadas ao atendimento nas comunidades indígenas e os últimos editais não conseguiram um médico para preenchimento da vaga em aberto para o polo de Paulo Afonso.

Actions for building a health service delivery model geared towards the indigenous population became more prominent only in 2002, upon creation of the National Health Policy for Indigenous Peoples. As a result, professionals from the Mais Médicos Project were included in the Special Indigenous Health Districts. Hence, this study describes the experience of professionals from the More Doctor for Brazil project within indigenous communities in northern Bahia, at the Paulo Afonso center. Overall, these communities face low socioeconomic conditions and the indigenous peoples of the Sertão are largely affected by urbanization processes. During the program, the professionals noted that indigenous communities bear the psychological effects of land struggles, the history of violent repression and the persistent prejudiced culture espoused by non-indigenous. Moreover, the commitment and dedication of Mais Médicos physicians, as well as their interest in providing care for the traditional indigenous communities in their area of activity, is evident. Importantly, however, even many years after the implementation of the Mais Médicos Project, vacancies geared towards indigenous health are difficult to fill out and the last public notices were unable to find a doctor to fill the open vacancy for the Paulo Afonso center.

Las acciones para construir un modelo de prestación de servicios de salud a la población indígena recién se intensificaron en el año 2002 cuando se creó la Política Nacional de Salud para los Pueblos Indígenas. De esta forma, se incluyó a profesionales en el Proyecto Más Médicos en los Distritos Sanitarios Especiales de Salud Indígena. Así, este trabajo describe la experiencia de profesionales del Proyecto Más Médicos para Brasil en comunidades indígenas del Norte de Bahía, en el polo Paulo Afonso. Estas comunidades se caracterizan por tener condiciones socioeconómicas bajas en general, y los pueblos indígenas del sertão del Nordeste Brasileño son en gran medida afectados por el proceso de urbanización. Durante el programa se pudo percibir que las comunidades indígenas traen consigo los efectos psicológicos de las luchas territoriales, la historia de represión violenta y la cultura prejuiciosa persistente por parte de los no indígenas. Además, es notorio el compromiso y dedicación del médico becario del Proyecto Más Médicos, así como su interés por brindar atención a las comunidades indígenas tradicionales de su zona de actuación; sin embargo, vale mencionar que aún después de tantos años de implementación del Proyecto Más Médicos, existe una gran dificultad para cubrir las vacantes destinadas a la atención de las comunidades indígenas y los últimos avisos públicos no encontraron a médicos para llenar la vacante abierta para el polo Paulo Afonso.

Development of a national health policy logic model to accelerate the integration of oncology and palliative care: a nationwide Delphi survey in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Despite recommendations to deliver palliative care to cancer patients and their caregivers, their distress has not been alleviated satisfactorily. National health policies play a pivotal role in achieving a comprehensive range of quality palliative care delivery for the public. However, there is no standardised logic model to appraise the efficacy of these policies. This study aimed to develop a logic model of a national health policy to deliver cancer palliative care and to reach consensus towards specific policy proposals. METHODS: A draft version of the logic model and specific policy proposals were formulated by the research team and the internal expert panel, and the independent external expert panel evaluated the policy proposals based on the Delphi survey to reach consensus. RESULTS: The logic model was divided into three major conceptual categories: 'care-delivery at cancer hospitals', 'community care coordination', and 'social awareness of palliative care'. There were 18 and 45 major and minor policy proposals, which were categorised into four groups: requirement of government-designated cancer hospitals; financial support; Basic Plan to Promote Cancer Control Programs; and others. These policy proposals were independently evaluated by 64 external experts and the first to third Delphi round response rates were 96.9-98.4%. Finally, 47 policy proposals reached consensus. The priority of each proposal was evaluated within the four policy groups. CONCLUSIONS: A national health policy logic model was developed to accelerate the provision of cancer palliative care. Further research is warranted to verify the study design to investigate the efficacy of the logic model.

Longitudinal participation in delivery and payment reform programs among US Primary Care Organizations.

OBJECTIVE: To assess longitudinal primary care organization participation patterns in large-scale reform programs and identify organizational characteristics associated with multiprogram participation. DATA SOURCES: Secondary data analysis of national program participation data over an eight-year period (2009-2016). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective, observational study by creating a unique set of data linkages (including Medicare and Medicaid Meaningful Use and Medicare Shared Savings Program Accountable Care Organization (MSSP ACO) participation from CMS, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) participation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, and organizational characteristics) to measure longitudinal participation and identify what types of organizations participate in one or more of these reform programs. We used multivariate models to identify organizational characteristics that differentiate those that participate in none, one, or two-to-three programs. DATA EXTRACTION METHODS: We used Medicare claims to identify organizations that delivered primary care services (n = 56 ,287) and then linked organizations to program participation data and characteristics. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: No program achieved more than 50% participation across the 56,287 organizations in a given year, and participation levels flattened or decreased in later years. 36% of organizations did not participate in any program over the eight-year study period; 50% participated in one; 13% in two; and 1% in all three. 14.31% of organizations participated in five or more years of Meaningful Use while 3.84% of organizations participated in five years of the MSSP ACO Program and 0.64% participated in at least five years of PCMH. Larger organizations, those with younger providers, those with more primary care providers, and those with larger Medicare patient panels were more likely to participate in more programs. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Primary care transformation via use of voluntary programs, each with their own participation requirements and approach to incentives, has failed to broadly engage primary care organizations. Those that have chosen to participate in multiple programs are likely those already providing high-quality care.

Do health policies address the availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality of human resources for health? Analysis over three decades of National Health Policy of India.

BACKGROUND: Human Resources for Health (HRH) are crucial for improving health services coverage and population health outcomes. The World Health Organisation (WHO) promotes countries to formulate holistic policies that focus on four HRH dimensions-availability, accessibility, acceptability, and quality (AAAQ). The status of these dimensions and their incorporation in the National Health Policies of India (NHPIs) are not well known. METHODS: We created a multilevel framework of strategies and actions directed to improve AAAQ HRH dimensions. HRH-related recommendations of NHPI-1983, 2002, and 2017 were classified according to targeted dimensions and cadres using the framework. We identified the dimensions and cadres focussed by NHPIs using the number of mentions. Furthermore, we introduce a family of dimensionwise deficit indices formulated to assess situational HRH deficiencies for census years (1981, 2001, and 2011) and over-year trends. Finally, we evaluated whether or not the HRH recommendations in NHPIs addressed the deficient cadres and dimensions of the pre-NHPI census years. RESULTS: NHPIs focused more on HRH availability and quality compared to accessibility and acceptability. Doctors were prioritized over auxiliary nurses-midwives and pharmacists in terms of total recommendations. AAAQ indices showed deficits in all dimensions for almost all HRH cadres over the years. All deficit indices show a general decreasing trend from 1981 to 2011 except for the accessibility deficit. The recommendations in NHPIs did not correspond to the situational deficits in many instances indicating a policy priority mismatch. CONCLUSION: India needs to incorporate AAAQ dimensions in its policies and monitor their progress. The framework and indices-based approach can help identify the gaps between targeted and needed dimensions and cadres for effective HRH strengthening. At the global level, the application of framework and indices will allow a comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of HRH-related policies of various nations.

A construção de políticas públicas de saúde mental com foco no trabalhador rural / The construction of public mental health policies in Brazil with a focus on rural workers / La construcción de políticas públicas de salud mental con enfoque en el trabajador rural

OBJETIVO: analisar a inclusão da saúde mental do trabalhador rural na construção da agenda e implementação das principais políticas públicas de saúde do território nacional. MÉTODO: estudo de caráter transversal e interdisciplinar realiza pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, investigando o "lugar" da saúde mental do trabalhador rural na construção da Política Nacional de Saúde Mental, Política Nacional de Saúde do Trabalhador e a Política Nacional de Saúde Integral das Populações do Campo, da Floresta e Águas. RESULTADOS: embora avanços tenham ocorrido no âmbito nacional da saúde mental e saúde do trabalhador, a inclusão do meio rural ainda é tímida e a consideração do sofrimento do trabalhador do campo é praticamente nula. CONCLUSÃO: o termo trabalhador rural é pouco citado nas principais políticas nacionais e sem conceito integrativo, sendo referenciado de forma fragmentada, descontextualizada e excludente no processo inicial da definição e construção das principais políticas públicas de saúde.

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the inclusion of the mental health of rural workers in the construction of the agenda and implementation of the main public health policies of the national territory. METHOD: a cross-sectional and interdisciplinary research study that conducts bibliographic and documentary survey, investigating the "place" of rural workers' mental health in the construction of the National Mental Health Policy, the National Workers' Health Policy and the National Integral Health Policy of the Rural, Forest and Waters Populations. RESULTS: although advances have been made in the national context of mental health and workers' health, the inclusion of the rural environment is still timid and the consideration of the rural workers' distress is practically null. CONCLUSION: the rural worker is little mentioned in the main national policies and without an integrative concept, being referenced in a fragmented, decontextualized and excluding manner in the initial process of definition and construction of the main public health policies.

OBJETIVO: analizar la inclusión de la salud mental del trabajador rural en la construcción de la agenda e implementación de las principales políticas públicas de salud del país. MÉTODO: estudio de carácter transversal e interdisciplinar realiza pesquisa bibliográfica y documental, investigando el "lugar" de la salud mental del trabajador rural en la construcción de la Política Nacional de Salud Mental, Política Nacional de Salud del Trabajador y la Política Nacional de Salud Integral de las Poblaciones del Campo, de la Floresta y Aguas. RESULTADOS: aunque se han producido avances a nivel nacional de salud mental y salud de los trabajadores, la inclusión de las zonas rurales sigue siendo tímida y la consideración del sufrimiento de los trabajadores rurales es prácticamente nula. CONCLUSIÓN: el término trabajador rural rara vez se menciona en las principales políticas nacionales y sin un concepto integrador, se hace referencia de manera fragmentada, descontextualizada y exclusiva en el proceso inicial de definición y construcción de las principales políticas públicas de salud.

Health Inequity in Cervical Cancer Control Among Refugee Women in the United States by Country of Origin.

Purpose: To describe cervical cancer control practices from common countries of origin for women who resettle in the United States as refugees to highlight this persistent health inequity. Methods: Describe presence/type of national cervical cancer screening program, screening coverage percentage, and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program presence and coverage. Results: Nine of 15 included countries screen opportunistically. Most do not use high-performing tests, and estimates of screening coverage were limited. Only one country offers HPV vaccination. Conclusion: Countries of origin for refugee women may lack effective national cervical cancer control programs. To meet the World Health Organization (WHO)'s call to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, focus on culturally tailored education, and continued research are paramount.

The Reform of the Newborn Screening Policy: Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

One in every 10,000 children is born with SMA and half of them will not even live two years. It is a hereditary genetic disorder, where the muscles die. If it is discovered just after birth, newborns can get the newest medicines to maintain their health. Unlike some other common genetic diseases (e.g. Down-Syndrome), SMA can be screened prior to pregnancy to determine whether the parents are carriers. In Hungary, people have urged reform, due to the baby Zente case, whose story has reached millions. Australia and Germany have also discovered the need for screenings. However, the US has already introduced newborn screening for SMA, far ahead of European countries. National policies should adhere to the same path to contribute to appropriate family planning and to make the treatment available as soon as needed to provide a longer and better life for sick infants.

Política Nacional da Saúde do Trabalhador e da Trabalhadora: uma reflexão sobre a gestão da saúde e doença da classe-que-vive-do-trabalho / National policy on worker health and worker: a reflection on the management of health and illness of the working-class

Busca-se realizar uma discussão acerca da Política Nacional de Saúde do Trabalhador e da Trabalhadora (PNSTT), no contexto brasileiro, a partir de uma reflexão sobre o processo de saúde e doença da classe-que-vive-do-trabalho. Para tanto, parte-se do pressuposto teórico que uma política, quando delineada e implementada, pode resultar num processo duplo, produzindo por um lado, personagens sociais e por outro, estabelecendo um domínio de intervenção do Estado. A partir da análise realizada, verificou-se que no âmbito do Sistema Único de Saúde, a atuação é voltada apenas para o tratamento das doenças, invisibilizando os trabalhadores, deixando, assim, de relacionar o processo de trabalho com o adoecimento. Ademais, identificou-se que embora seja uma política com atenção ampla aos trabalhadores, no imaginário social, tem como personagem o trabalhador inserido no mercado formal, que desempenha atividades de risco relacionadas ao "trabalho pesado". Com relação aos limites de atuação do Estado, pode-se observar que agindo apenas com medidas de tratamento, não se assegura a promoção e prevenção da ST. Esse desempenho, por sua vez, leva-nos a concluir que o foco da atenção estatal parece estar direcionado, prioritariamente, para os interesses econômicos do capital.(AU)

It seeks to carry out a discussion about the National Policy for Workers' Health (PNSTT), in the Brazilian context, based on a reflection on the health and illness process of the working-class. Therefore, it is based on the theoretical assumption that a policy, when outlined and implemented, can result in a double process, producing, on the one hand, social characters and, on the other, establishing a domain of State intervention. From the analysis carried out, it was found that, within the scope of the Unified Health System, the work is focused only on the treatment of illnesses, making workers invisible, thus failing to relate the work process with illness. Furthermore, it was identified that although it is a policy with broad attention to workers, in the social imaginary, it has as a character the worker inserted in the formal market, who performs risky activities related to "heavy work". Regarding the limits of the State's performance, it can be observed that, acting only with treatment measures, the promotion and prevention of ST is not ensured. This performance, in turn, leads us to conclude that the focus of state attention seems to be directed, primarily, to the economic interests of capital.(AU)

Hits and misses of Bangladesh National Health Policy 2011.

National Health Policy (NHP) is a guiding principle for a country to identify the priority of health-care needs, resource allocations according to prioritization, and to achieve specific health-care goals. In addition, NHP is usually wide-ranging, all-inclusive plan that pursues each and every population to move on the road to better health. NHP targets to achieve universal health coverage and delivering quality health-care services to all at inexpensive cost, through a preemptive, protective, and prophylactic health-care program in all national and international developmental policy and planning. There are quite a few constituents that are valuable in executing health policy. These elements include novelty, technical compendium, communiqué, conglomerates, administration, supervision, and political awareness and promise. Health policies can be implemented at all levels of the government system. It helps in strengthening the overall health-care system of the country by effective public-private coordination and collaboration. In the year 1990, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) tried to promulgate an NHP. Unfortunately, the attempt failed. The health-care system of the country operated without a policy until 2011. In the year 2011, the country's first health policy was published by the GoB. Though the country has have achieved excellent progress in providing health care, but yet Bangladesh has a few critical challenges that need immediate attention. In this article, we will try to address the pros and cons of the Bangladesh NHP 1990 and the positive aspects and challenges of NHP 2011.

Recommendations for a national Coronavirus disease 2019 response guideline for the care of older persons in Nigeria during and post-pandemic: A family physician's perspective.

The older persons in our society are a special group of people in need of additional measures of care and protection. They have medical, financial, emotional and social needs. The novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) only exacerbates those needs. COVID-19 is a new disease, and there is limited information regarding the disease. Based on currently available information, older persons and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Family physicians provide care for individuals across their lifespan. Because geriatricians are internists or family physicians with post-residency training in geriatric medicine, they are major stakeholders in geriatric care. The authors are concerned about the absence of a COVID-19 response guideline/special advisory targeting the vulnerable population of older adults. The management and response to COVID-19 will be implemented in part based on the local context of available resources. Nigeria has been described as a resource-constrained nation. Infection prevention in older persons in Nigeria will far outweigh the possibilities of treatment given limited resources. The aim was to recommend actionable strategies to prevent COVID-19-related morbidity or mortality among older persons in Nigeria and to promote their overall well-being during and after the pandemic. These recommendations cut across the geriatric medicine domains of physical health, mental health, functioning ability and socio-environmental situation.

Framework for development of urgent care services towards strengthening primary healthcare in India - Joint position paper by the Academy of Family Physician of India and the Academic College of Emergency Experts.

Urgent care practice (UCP) is a novel concept for India. Urgent care primarily deals with injuries or illnesses requiring immediate care. Medical emergency and urgency can happen anywhere unannounced. Research has shown that 90% of the morbidities can be resolved within the community by primary care physicians lead teams. Given the changing professional demands, non-specialists tend to refer away far too many cases to specialists, undermining generalist medical care, particularly in Indian settings. The spillover of the patient load from the primary care setting to the tertiary care centers is enormous leading to resource mismatch. Family physicians and other primary care providers are best positioned to develop practices and provide good quality urgent care to society. Family physicians, general practitioners, and medical officers are already functioning as the frontline care providers for any emergency or medical urgency arising within communities. Urgent care is essentially ambulatory care or outpatient care outside of a traditional hospital emergency room. "UCP aims to provide timely support, which is easily accessible with a focus on good clinical outcomes, e.g. survival, recovery, lack of adverse events, and complications. Core interventions of urgent care are centered on the 4Rs - Rescue, Resuscitate, Relate, and Refer. At present, there are no available, established training model for future faculty, residents, and medical students on "UCP" in India.

Non-communicable disease care and physical activity promotion in India: analysis of recent policies, guidelines and workplans.

Burden statements on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the globe suggest that they pose a constant threat to human development. There are two different types of NCD interventions: population-based interventions addressing NCD risk factors and individual-based interventions addressing NCDs in the primary care setting. Most of the individual-based interventions are based on NCD-care models, as opposed to population-based interventions targeting risk factors through independent vertical programmes. We explored the relevant Indian policy documents including the recent National Health Policy 2017, to get an overview of the Indian NCD-care model and to find out how physical activity (PA) promotion stands in the year 2019 in the current policy documents on NCDs. We conducted a review with two perspectives; first to capture the NCD-care models and second to document the PA promotion and its integration in the current NCD-care model specific to the Indian context. Indian NCD programme is an evolving healthcare programme with a definite NCD-care model, where the individual-based and population-based care are thoroughly linked. Despite having good NCD-care policy and methodical planning, PA promotion seems to be lacking in the policy perspective and currently physical inactivity as a risk factor is not considered seriously. The structure of the NCD-care model should be detailed and strengthened by incorporating lessons from other successful NCD models from across the globe. Indian NCD model must provide sufficient scope of interfacing individual care to that of population-based risk factor strategies like physical activity promotion.