Health is a right of all and a duty of the State, defines the Federal Constitution. In order to guarantee health care for indigenous peoples, the Subsystems for Attention to the Health of Indigenous Peoples was created in 1999. SasiSUS sets up a service network implemented in indigenous lands, based on geographic, demographic and cultural criteria. Following the principles of SUS, this subsystem considers indigenous participation as a fundamental premise for better control and planning of services, as well as a way to reinforce the self-determination of these peoples.

The coordination of the National Health Care Policy for Indigenous Peoples and the entire management process of SasiSUS is the responsibility of the Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health (Sesai), of the Ministry of Health. Created in October 2010, Sesai emerged from the need for reformulation of indigenous health management in the country, demand demanded by the indigenous themselves during the National Indigenous Health Conferences.

The secretariat’s mission is to implement a new management and care model within the scope of SasiSUS, decentralized, with administrative, budgetary, financial and health responsibility of the 34 Special Indigenous Health Districts (DSEIs).

Among Sesai’s duties are:

• Develop actions of integral attention to indigenous health and health education, in line with SUS policies and programs and observing traditional indigenous health practices;
• Plan and coordinate sanitation actions and indigenous health buildings;
• Articulate with states and municipalities and non-governmental organizations actions for the attention to indigenous health, respecting the cultural specificities and the epidemiological profile of each people;
• Promote the strengthening of Social Control in the Indigenous Health Care Subsystem.

To carry out these actions, Sesai’s administrative structure has:

• 3 departments: Department of Indigenous Health Management (DGESI), Department of Attention to Indigenous Health (DASI), Department of Sanitation and Health Buildings (DSESI);
• 34 DSEIs (Special Indigenous Sanitary Districts): decentralized management unit of the Subsystem, responsible for carrying out health care actions in the villages and environmental sanitation and indigenous health buildings. The Districts were divided by territorial criteria, based on the geographical occupation of indigenous communities. DSEIs cover more than one municipality and in some cases more than one state;
• In addition to the DSEIs, there are also the Base Poles, Indigenous Health Homes (Couples) and health posts.

 

Discover the flow of Indigenous Health care

Discover the flow of Indigenous Health care