WHO warns of need for more funding Brazil health system

BRASILIA, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO)released on Wednesday a report urging the Brazilian government to meet funding needs of its public health system.

According to the document, up to 1988, half of Brazilians did not have any coverage, and two decades after the creation of the Unified Health System (SUS), more than 75 percent of the population depends solely on it for health care.

WHO considers the Family Health program a "key piece", which covers 97 million Brazilians and has more than 30,000 teams engaged in "concerted efforts" to reach the poorest and most isolated communities in the country.

Other positive elements include the network of services offered including cardiac surgery, diagnostic laboratory and high-tech medical exams, as well as the national vaccination campaigns for disease prevention and the oral health program.

The report highlights the importance of decentralization of SUS from 1996, when legislation transferred part of the financial and managerial accountability for states and municipalities network, which should invest 12 and 15 percent of their budgets in the sector, respectively.

According to WHO, the problem is the lack of funding at the federal level, with per capita spending of 252 dollars in 2007, behind countries like Argentina and Uruguay.

The agency noted that inadequate funding is related to the problems of poor structure in hospitals and the reduced staff of health professionals in the South American country.

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