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Bahiana hosts I Symposium on Vulnerability and Health
Activity is an initiative of the Interfaces in Health Research Center (NUPEIS).
10/11/2016
The daily fragility of homeless people, quilombola communities, women in prison, sex workers and people with STDs was discussed during the I Symposium on Vulnerability and Health. The event, which took place last Friday, November 4th, was held at the Cabula Academic Unit of Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública.
Initiative Interfaces in Health Research Center (NUPEIS), linked to the Undergraduate and Graduate Programs of the health courses of the Bahiana, the symposium also opened space to discuss issues of color and gender. They were present, representing the coordination of the Nursing course of the Bahiana, Prof. Robélia Dorea, in addition to health professionals, academics from Bahiana and from other faculties.
The Lemos de Brito women's prison choir performed at the opening of the event. Then the first table started. The theme was the vulnerability of women in prison and also of midwives, members of quilombo communities and sex workers.
The symposium coordinator, Prof. Tânia Bispo, highlighted that the program dealt with a relevant topic, of public importance, noting that an activity like this, when debated in a health school, expands the knowledge of teachers and students.
“We can discuss with multidisciplinary teams what we are going to do with people in vulnerable situations, in order to minimize the inconvenience to the health of these individuals”, he highlighted.
For Prof. Tânia Bispo, it is important for the Bahiana - a health institution and opinion maker - to be inserted in this context, to broaden the view of academics and professionals towards a more humanized service.
prison environment
According to Luz Marina Ferreira da Silva, director of the Mata Escura Penitentiary Complex, who gave a lecture on the vulnerability of women in prison, the symposium is extremely important for the prison population, given the fragility within the prison environment.
“When a woman is arrested, she leaves a family behind. She probably didn't have a solid family background, she lived a street experience, and then, due to all kinds of vulnerability, this woman suffered and continues to suffer incarcerated”, observed Luz Marina.
The director believes that affirmative actions and symposia like this one are an attempt to minimize the suffering of these women and promote their social reintegration.
For Geisa Copello, a psychologist at the Female Penal Group in Salvador, the symposium was able to give visibility to individuals who constantly experience situations of fragility. "We need events that touch on this theme, as many of these people are practically invisible to society."
The psychologist pointed out that, in the case of incarcerated women, the vulnerability is even greater, as this type of environment was originally designed for men - women end up having to adapt.
Quilombolas
The nurse and professor at the Department of Life Sciences at the State University of Bahia (UNEB), Mary Galvão, explained that the greatest vulnerability of quilombola midwives is the invisibility and silence even of the State, which ignores them. “The biggest problem facing the quilombolas, indigenous populations and other segments that the State insists on marginalizing is the fact that they have not guaranteed what is provided for in the legislation”, he assessed.
For her, taking this debate to the academic environment is to open a broad discussion, to inform teachers, students and health professionals about the situation of vulnerability.
Sara Moreira, a nurse graduated from UNEB and a member of NUPEIS, emphasized the importance of these people being assisted. "We bring these vulnerable groups, many also affected by prejudice, precisely to provide better assistance and help improve the quality of life of these communities marginalized by society."
Sara Maria, student of the 6th semester of nursing at UNEB, said that the event is extremely important for her course. “I found out about the symposium and signed up, as I'm interested in these issues of vulnerability and getting to know a little more about each community in the lectures is enriching”.
João Batista, 34 years old, with osteogenesis imperfecta (a disease that affects bones) participated in the event by attending the lectures and reported that the symposium brought important contributions to the health of the population. "THE Bahiana it has important initiatives and bringing the situations of vulnerability of different groups is relevant for people's knowledge”.
Check out the photos.