Brazil: COVID-19

At the strategic level, the National health System (SUS) have the National Health Council (CNS) - responsible for approving the National Health Plan (PNS), which describes the objectives, guidelines, indicators and targets for the country's health system for the quadrennium that refers to - and the Tripartite Interagency Commission (CIT) - forum for negotiation and agreement between the federal, state and municipal spheres, represented, respectively, by the Ministry of Health (MS), National Council of Health Secretaries (CONASS) and National Council of Secretaries Municipal Health Councils (CONASEMS).

The Digital Health Strategy Steering Committee - created through CIT Resolution no. 46, of August 29, 2019 to exercise, at a strategic level, the governance function of the Digital Health Strategy in line with the guidelines, objectives and goals defined in the PNS and in the National Health Policies.

• Ordinances related to COVID-19

Official Coronavirus website by Ministry of Health

• The website of Ministry of Health features: published ordinances on COVID-19, data on distribution of tests, information on transmisión and treatment of COVID-19, epidemiological bulletin, national contingency plan, and fake news and so on.
• The website also offers a chatcbot TeleSUS, a channel created by the Ministry of Health to check symptoms and clarify doubts about COVID-19

Coronavirus SUS

• The Ministry of Health launched the Coronavirus-SUS app to increase the public's awareness to COVID-19.
• The application offers following features:
  • Information on various topics related to COVID-19 such as symptoms, preventative measures, what to do in case of suspicion and infection and etc;
  • Map indicating nearby health units;
  • Self-diagnosis tools; in case of suspected infection, the citizens can check if the symptoms are compatible with Corona's, and if so, they will be instructed and sent to the nearest basic health unit;
  • Official news from the Ministry of Health with a focus on Coronavirus

Disque Saúde 136

• Disque Saúde 136 center now enables online real-time communications through its new chat tool. The chat function aims to expand communication channel for users of the Unified Health System (SUS), workers and health professionals. They can reach out to SUS Ombudsman to request, complain, report, ask for information on COVID-19. The chat is available on the Ministry of Health portal, under the “Contacts” tab, under “Service via Chat Disque Saúde 136”. Click here to access Disque Saúde 136.

   

Clinical Management and Treatment

• Manuals, Guides and Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of COVID-19 is a quick response to the confrontation of COVID-19, in the ase of the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization and the initiatives of the Ministry of Health to ase this new situation in Brazil.
• The page offers:
  • COVID-19 Case Screening Platform
    • The Ministry of Health also provides the image bank to support the care of cases and allow agility in the adoption of conduct by health professionals in the diagnosis of COVID19.
    • To use the service, the professional must enter the platform and register. The service is available 24 hours, seven days a week. Professionals will also be able to contribute to the image bank, registering new cases and helping to guide other professionals
    • Click here to Access the platform. You can read more about the platform here.
       

Telemedicine

• According to the Oficio CFM N.1756/2020, The Federal council on Medicine decided to use telemedicines to combat COVID-19 for these purposes:
  • Teleorientation: for medical professionals to carry out distance learning guidance and referral of patients in isolation
  • Telemonitoring: Act performed under medical supervisión and supervisión for remote monitoring or enforcement of Health/ and or disease parameters
  • Teleinterconsulta: exclusively for the Exchange of information and opinions among doctors, for diagnosistic or therapeutic assistance.

Brazilian Ministry of Health’s Plan to use Teleconsultaion/ Telemedicine

• Patients from the Unified Health System (SUS) will be able to have virtual consultations at the primary health care posts. The initiative will allow health professionals to have access to a platform for conducting virtual medical, nursing and multi-professional consultations, within the scope of Primary Care. The online tool will help health professionals to make teleconsultations, giving continuity to the care of patients with hypertension and diabetes, among other conditions, in an agile, comfortable and safe way. Approximately 20,000 doctors and nurses working in Family Health units across the country will have access and training to navigate the system. They will also have 24-hour maintenance and technical support. The professionals who join will receive, free of charge, certification for the practice of telemedicine and telehealth. Read more about it here.
• Concerned with mental health of the thousands of health professionals who are at the head of the fight against COVID-19, the Ministry of Health will provide a channel for psychological teleconsultation for these workers. The initiative is a recognition of the need to support these professionals who, due to their intense work, with high contamination risks and facing adverse conditions, may have symptoms such as anxiety, depression, irritability, acute stress disorder and burnout, among others. In all, R $ 2.3 million will be invested. Click here to read more about it.

e-SUS VE

• This is a new platform for the notifcation of suspected cases of COVID-19 by the Ministry of Health’s Informatics deparment of the unified Health system (DataSUS) notifiying system of the Federal Government have high performance resources that can optimize the records of COVID-19 through out Brazil.
• Click here to access the tool. You can read more about the tool here.

• Click here to view the map of strategic Map of supplies.

• There are different data collection solutions for both Federal and State level in Brazil. They have implemented digital tools to collect and analyze data concerning COVID-19 cases, and mobility of population during the mandatory isolation and social distancing using many different solutions from various IT suppliers.

Coronavirus Brasil

• This website offers analytics of COVID-19 cases in Brazil.
   

• In development