Brazil creates Indigenous Health Committee to Cut Maternal and Infant Deaths

On 24 April, Brazil's Ministry of Health, through the Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai), established the Committee for the Reduction of Maternal, Fetal and Infant Mortality among Indigenous Peoples (CRMMFII). The permanent, consultative body is linked to the Indigenous Health Subsystem (SasiSUS) and will oversee policies aimed at lowering deaths of Indigenous women, fetuses and children.

The committee will monitor health indicators, analyse risk factors, investigate causes of death and evaluate existing actions in the 34 Indigenous Special Health Districts (DSEIs). It is tasked with drafting a reduction plan, coordinating public agencies, civil‑society organisations, Indigenous communities and traditional‑medicine experts, and ensuring implementation across the country. Special protocols are planned for Isolated and Recently‑Contacted Indigenous Peoples, respecting their autonomy, culture and territory.

The creation was published in the Official Gazette and signals a strengthening of Brazil's commitment to Indigenous health and to reducing longstanding mortality gaps.