A Story with a Human Name: The Evolution of Social Participation in Health Technology Assessment through the Voice of Vania Canuto

Abstract

Certainly, the evolution of social participation in Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in Brazil is a historical process of institutional
change that intersects with the very formation of the Unified Health System (SUS), involving the Brazilian population and social control in health policy formulation. More recent than the Brazilian health system, HTA was institutionalized with the premise of social participation. This history, documented through laws, ordinances, and decrees, has evolved over the years, sometimes in large strides, other times more slowly, always written by people. After all, institutions are made up of people. Indeed, the evolution and deepening of society's involvement in HTA is a story that cannot be told without mentioning the involvement of certain individuals. Vania Canuto is undeniably one of them. A pioneer in the field, Vania was one of the first to work with HTA in the country. A public servant and Specialist in Public Policies and Government Management, she experienced significant milestones in this process, such as the creation of the Brazilian Network for Health Technology Assessment (Rebrats) and the National Commission for the Incorporation of Technologies in the Unified Health System (Conitec), where she served as deputy director and later as director.
Recognized for her work in the field for over twenty years, Vania is one of the key voices in this journey. Listening to her is, undoubtedly, understanding what laws, ordinances, and decrees cannot capture. It is a retrieval of the understanding of how SUS has been, and continues to be, arduously built by people. Above all, it is a fair and necessary record of an important fragment of our history. In an interview conducted remotely on June 12, 2024, by journalist Bruna Viana, Vania recounts the deepening of the social participation process in Conitec, which has made Brazil an international reference on the subject, and highlights milestones of this trajectory.