IV Colloquium on Health of the Black Population is promoted by Bahiana

Debate the main implications of racism on the health of citizens - this was the purpose of the IV Colloquium on Health of the Black Population, held on November 09, at Campus Cabula, by the Center for Studies and Research in Gender, Race and Health (NEGRAS) , in partnership with the Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública. The event featured lectures by professors from different parts of the country and members of government institutions.

The People Development coordinator, Luiza Ribeiro, participated in the opening table and commented on the relevance of promoting another edition of this meeting. “The importance of the fourth edition of the colloquium lies in continuing a discussion on public, collective and inclusive health. We are exposing our students to this type of reflection that is related to their future actions, both politically and professionally, in the sense that when you take care of your health, you are taking care of the country”, he says.

Professor Karine de Souza Santana, coordinator of the event, told how the process of structuring the colloquium took place: “Organizing an event like this is extremely challenging, as all the instances involved need, in fact, to understand the importance of the topic. THE Bahiana it has been a great partner and allowed the growth and development of this activity. The relevance of this event is to generate a space for dialogue for us to reflect on our practices as citizens, teachers and students”.

The roundtable of the colloquium addressed issues such as gender, the role of health professionals and social control from the perspective of the National Policy for Comprehensive Health for the Black Population (PNSIPN). Dr. Climene Laura de Camargo, Professor of Nursing at UFBA, spoke about the “Impacts of the current political scenario on the implementation of the PNSIPN”, where she showed how policies aimed at blacks and laws against racism act in society.

The guests at the table, professor Fernanda Souza de Bairros, from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), professor Cristiane dos Santos Silva, from the Federal University of Reconcavo da Bahia (UFRB) and the state health councilor, Marcos Antônio Almeida Sampaio, spoke about their academic and professional experiences and about how racism affects and hinders the care of black people in the Unified Health System (SUS), whether pregnant women, who are often discriminated against, or different types of patients who suffer from prejudice in the public health system.

Indira Ramos, Master in Food, Nutrition and Health (UFBA) and member of the Center for Studies and Research in Gender, Race and Health (NEGRAS), declared how significant the promotion of the colloquium is for the social sphere. “For us, it is very symbolic to bring this debate to a private university, even if it is necessary in any space. This is an event open to the public, and the idea is that we manage, each year, to add more people so that we can advance in this debate and make this on the agenda of training for health professionals", he declares.

During the IV Colloquium on Health of the Black Population, medical students presented their academic work through panels. First semester student Ícaro Antônio Barreto, who exhibited the work “Health of the black man in focus”, spoke about his satisfaction in participating in the event. “It is very gratifying to be presenting this work. The subject Public Health, which was the basis of my research, is a subject that I really like, and addressing the topic about the black population made me realize an opportunity to materialize the reason why I decided to study Medicine: to help the population that most needs, which is subject to more unfavorable social determinants", he concludes.

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