Brasília – Patient organizations in Brazil are preparing legal action against current rules of the National Committee for Health Technology Incorporation (Conitec), arguing that recent regulations fail to ensure effective participation of civil society in decision-making on technology incorporation into the public health system. The initiative is led by Casa Hunter, which claims that restrictions on eligibility, representation, and conflict-of-interest declarations create unequal conditions compared to other stakeholders.

Despite recent measures by the Ministry of Health to streamline participation—such as governance manuals, training initiatives, and a selection panel—associations argue that key barriers remain, including strict selection criteria and limitations on who can represent organizations. The Ministry states that efforts are ongoing to improve engagement, noting that civil society has already contributed to multiple technology assessments across disease areas within the Unified Health System (SUS).

Source: Futuro da Saúde