Health promotion and prevention of risks and diseases in Supplementary Health: a brief history

Abstract

The development of programs for the promotion of health and prevention of diseases and risks aims the advisable identificationand monitoring of health risks, the reduction of morbidity rates in old people and the improvement of qualityof life of beneficiaries of private health care, since the majority of diseases affecting the population is preventable. As anoffshoot of the Regulatory Agenda from ANS (National Agency for Supplementary Health), a working group with representativesfrom the ANS, the Academy, operators and providers of health services was formed to discuss the process ofactive aging throughout a life course and propose mechanisms to encourage membership of beneficiaries in programs forhealth promotion and prevention of risks and diseases. Furthermore, the process of Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) wasdone. The need to develop a normative instrument for defining the concepts related to health promotion and the scopeof programs modeling was highlighted. Until August 2011, prior to the publication of the Regulatory Resolutions no. 264and no. 265, ANS had a databank of 127 approved programs, with an estimated participation of 198 000 beneficiaries.After eleven months of the term of the new regulations, there were a total of 750 programs reported in the ANS, with aparticipation projection of 1.12 million beneficiaries, which represented an increase of nearly five times the number ofusers of health care benefiting from the initiative. The programs have focused on activities aimed at encouraging physicalactivity, healthy eating and prevention of smoking and diseases such as cancer, sexually transmitted illnesses, osteoporosis,hypertension, diabetes, obesity. Another area focused is health of old people. ANS has further developed strategies toinfluence Programs for Health Promotion and Prevention of Risks and Diseases taking into account the specificities of thesupplementary sector and at the same time the policies undertaken by the Ministry of Health. Strategies adopted intendto introduce health promotion and prevention of diseases into the context of a care plan integrated to other actions andcomplexities of services, promoting therefore health management qualification in order to improve the quality of life ofprivate health care beneficiaries.