Health is politics. The COVID-19 pandemic is politcs. Notes for a debate.

Abstract

This essay explores the importance of politics to broaden the understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic at its origin and at its developments. It presents a brief synthesis of Brazil’s social inequality to put in context how it is aggra-vated by the pandemic. This essay also points out health policy constraints prior to the cur-rent crisis, especially the underfunding of SUS(Brazil’s public funded health system), arguing that the parliamentary coup that occurred in 2016 in the country burdened this condition. Further, this study indicates the role of eco-nomic groups that disrupt SUS from within the system. All these reasons are provided as to having led to the favorable environment that the Coronavirus found in Brazil, allowing its spread throughout the territory. Finally, this article draws attention to the lack of coordinat-ed actions against the pandemic by the Federal Government and presents some weaknesses of the health system that have become explicit with the pandemic.

ensaioRESUMOO ensaio explora a importância da políticapara ampliar o entendimento acerca da pan-demia da Covid-19 em sua origem e em seusdesdobramentos. Apresenta uma breve síntesesobre a desigualdade social do Brasil para con-textualizar como ela é agravada pela condiçãopandêmica. Aponta constrangimentos da polí-tica de saúde anterior à crise atual, sobretudo osubfinanciamento doSUS, argumentando queo golpe parlamentar ocorrido, em 2016, no paísonerou essa condição. Indica, ainda, o papelde grupos econômicos que desestruturam oSUSpor dentro do sistema. Ao conjunto dessasrazões, atribui o ambiente favorável que o co-ronavírus encontrou no Brasil e que favoreceusua difusão por todo o território. Finalmente,chama atenção para a falta de coordenação dasações contra a pandemia por parte do ente fe-derativo e apresenta algumas fragilidades dosistema de saúde que ganharam visibilidadecom a pandemia.Palavras-chave:Covid-19; Pandemia; SistemaÚnico de Saúde; Desigualdade social.ABSTRACTThis essay explores the importance of politicsto broaden the understanding of theCOVID-19pandemic at its origin and at its developments.It presents a brief synthesis of Brazil’s socialinequality to put in context how it is aggra-vated by the pandemic. This essay also pointsout health policy constraints prior to the cur-rent crisis, especially the underfunding ofSUS(Brazil’s public funded health system), arguingthat the parliamentary coup that occurred in2016 in the country burdened this condition.Further, this study indicates the role of eco-nomic groups that disruptSUSfrom within thesystem. All these reasons are provided as tohaving led to the favorable environment thatthe Coronavirus found in Brazil, allowing itsspread throughout the territory. Finally, thisarticle draws attention to the lack of coordinat-ed actions against the pandemic by the FederalGovernment and presents some weaknessesof the health system that have become explicitwith the pandemic.Keywords:Covid-19; Pandemics; UnifiedHealth System; Social inequity.Heloisa Maria Mendonça de Moraishttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-8244-6601UFPE, médica e Doutora em Saúde ColetivaRaquel Santos de Oliveirahttp://orcid.org/0000-0002-6189-1543UFPE, cirurgiã-dentista e Doutora em OdontologiaSAÚDE É POLÍTICA. A PANDEMIADA COVID-19 É POLÍTICAapontamentos para o debate