Brazilian Nursing Leadership and Protocol Initiatives Advance SUS Care

The first phase of the "Saberes e Práticas da Enfermagem no SUS – Liderança que Transforma Desafios em Ação" leadership course began on 10 July in Florianópolis. Organized by Fiocruz Brasília, the nursing councils of Santa Catarina (Coren‑SC, ABEn‑SC, Abenfo‑SC), the Ministry of Health and UFSC, the two‑day program includes expert lectures, self‑care activities and a video message from the WHO chief nurse, aiming to build nursing leaders for Brazil’s public health system.

At the same time, the Federal Nursing Council (Cofen) and the Regional Nursing Council of Rio Grande do Sul (Coren‑RS) held a lecture during the XXXIX Congress of Municipal Health Secretaries in Porto Alegre. Nurse Scheila Mai presented the new Cofen Resolution 801/2026 that authorizes nurses to prescribe medication and highlighted five nursing protocols already used by more than 150 municipalities in the state. The session emphasized how these protocols improve access, resolvability and evidence‑based care in primary health services, with support from Cofen vice‑president Daniel Menezes. Both events reflect coordinated efforts to strengthen the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) through enhanced nursing leadership and expanded clinical practice.