Seminar marks the launch of e-book by Alasag on the challenges of public health in Latin America in the post-pandemic era

The multidimensional crisis, which encompasses the economic, social, environmental, health and even ethical areas, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is the main theme of the book Perpectivas y desafíos en un enscenario post pandemia, adressing the health and the health system situation in Latin America. The e-book edited by the Latin American Alliance for Global Health (Alasag), with the support of the Center for International Relations in Health (Cris/Fiocruz), was launched last Thursday (11/23) at 10 a.m. in a special edition of the Advanced Seminars in Global Health and Health Diplomacy, which was broadcasted on YouTube in Portuguese and Spanish.

Perpectivas y desafíos en un enscenario post pandemia brings 13 chapters written by 20 Latin American experts, including Fiocruz's vice-president of Education, Information and Communication, Cristiani Machado, and was organized by Giorgio Solimano, professor of Public Health at the University of Chile (UChile), and Helena Ribeiro, from the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo (FSP/USP). The hybrid edition, with articles in Spanish and Portuguese, is the result of the Latin American Congress on Global Health, held in November 2022, in Chile, where the impact of the pandemic on Latin American health systems was debated.

"Health systems have suffered a lot in their routine because funding has become very demanding due to the pandemic. So both health professionals and the resources available have greatly focused on treating the pandemic and its consequences", explained Paulo Buss, coordinator at the Center for International Relations in Health (Cris/Fiocruz).

As a result, "a significant part of the vitality of the health system has been lost, thus affecting important programs such as childbirth care, newborn care, as well as the care for the chronically ill, such as those with diabetes, hypertension or mental health issues", he added.

The launch seminar was attended by the authors of the e-book, which can be downloaded free of charge at the websites of Fiocruz, Alasag and the other institutes that make up the alliance.

The event was broadcast in Portuguese and in Spanish.