Brazil expands health committee to curb judicialization of public system

The Brazilian Ministry of Health issued a decree on 31 July changing the composition of the Permanent Committee for Rationalization of Judicialization of the SUS. The new structure adds specialized ministry areas to the committee’s work on medication, treatment, exam and service disputes that reach the courts, aiming to base decisions on technical and scientific criteria, improve dialogue among public managers, legal bodies and technical units, and lessen the impact of lawsuits on health‑system planning.

In the state of Acre, the Court of Justice held a two‑day health‑conciliation mutirão (29‑30 July) that resolved 41 of 51 pending lawsuits, more than 80 % of cases, covering requests for medicines, procedures and equipment. The effort was coordinated by the State Health Committee, the state health secretariat, the public defender’s office, the state attorney‑general and the health‑plan operator Unimed, following recommendations of the National Council of Justice to use consensual dispute‑resolution methods.