Integra Project: strengthening social participation in the agenda of health policies, services, and technologies.

The 16th National Health Conference illustrated the interest of health councils to intervene in public policies in order to guarantee the right to health technologies. The INTEGRA project (Integration of policies for Health Surveillance, Pharmaceutical Care, Science, Technology, and Innovation in Health) is a partnership among the National Health Council, the National School of Pharmacists, and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), with support from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), with the goal of strengthening participation and social engagement in the theme, as well as the integration of health policies and practices within different sectors of society (social movements, health councils, and health professionals), with the various stages related to the access to medicines (research, incorporation, national production, and services) being the main theme in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It seeks to offer training for leadership groups in the health regions and activities with a broad national and political scope, and it hopes to establish an intersectorial and integrated network of leaders capable of acting collaboratively to defend the development of science, public policies, national sovereignty, and social control of health.

Science, Technology and Pharmaceutical Policy on the agenda: contributions from the society to the 16th National Conference on Health.

The Plenary of the National Health Council (CNS) approved the Resolution 568/2017, convening the 16th National Health Conference to be held in 2019 and decided to promote thematic activities in eight areas, including Pharmaceutical Policy and Science and Technology. CNS partnership with FIOCRUZ and the National School of Pharmacists proposed the 8th National Symposium on Science and Technology and Pharmaceutical Policy, preceded by ten regional preparatory meetings for the symposium throughout the country. The purpose of this article is to present and analyze the results of the first stage of meetings.