Topic:
Country: Brazil
Delegate Name: Tristan Ernst-Hodys
Delegate:Tristan Ernst-Hodys
Country: Brazil
Committee: WHO ECOSOC
Access to healthcare is an extremely urgent world issue. Worldwide about 400 million people do not have adequate healthcare. This means that they are not able to be effectively medicated nor treated. The cause of limited healthcare ranges from a country’s lack of resources to individuals not being able to afford adequate care. Even in developed countries people struggle to pay for healthcare and can not get the correct medical treatment. In refugee populations the issue is even more dire. Over 25 million refugees do not have access to medical care. Very often refugees and other people die from very treatable diseases due to their lack of healthcare. This is a growing problem that needs to be curbed before it’s too late.
Despite significant funding problems, in recent decades the WHO has addressed the issue in multiple ways ranging from disease specific programs to overall efforts to strengthen health care systems based on primary health care. Many of the key advancements have occurred as a result of the treaty-making power of the UN Organization. Some recent examples include: [1] The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the first international treaty negotiated under the auspices of WHO, it was adopted in 2003, [2] International Health Regulations adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2005, [3] the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework which was adopted in 2011 and, [4] in May 2010, WHO member States adopted the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel. Recent examples of disease specific programs include the “Millennium Development Goals” that focused on a small, directed set of diseases and targets and the “Sustainable Development Goals” with a broader scope set for 2030.
Brazil uses a universal healthcare system titled SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde). Conceived in the 1980s during a social movement aimed at re-democratization, SUS gives comprehensive healthcare to all of its citizens. Brazil also has The National Human Rights Plan which aims to curb disparities in medical care for minority or disadvantaged groups of people.It also aims to have complete equality in the Brazilian healthcare system so that no Brazilian citizen does not have healthcare. The healthcare system is also decentralized giving administrative duties to all branches of government. Beyond these National Programs, the Brazilian government signed on to WHO programs mentioned in the previous section such as the Convention on Tobacco Control and the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.
Thinking broader over the next half-century Brazil has the following recommendations for the United Nations and the WHO to enact to continue to make significant progress on the topic of global health care equity. [1] Urge all member states to adopt national healthcare and help those that cannot. [2] Encourage all member nations to create a special organization, similar to Brazil’s Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health, that manages policies and programs directed specifically to the health of marginalized people. [3] Member nations share and review successes and failures related to the implementation of organizational frameworks for health care coordination across the home country’s health system. This cooperation can help other countries avoid common mistakes and be more efficient in delivering coordinated health care programs both domestically and internationally. Brazil believes that by following these recommendations the world would make huge strides in expanding healthcare.
