ADUSEPS Ouvidoria Popular

Objectives of ADUSEPS

Ouvidoria Popular

The Aims of Ouvidoria Popular
The Ouvidoria Popular or "Listen to the People" project aims to make the public healthcare system more effective, and guarantee fair and equitable medical service to the whole population, regardless of social standing or ability to pay. Ouvidoria Popular also educates the population who uses the health system about their rights established under the Constitution of 1988, and by the Code of Defense of the consumer (Federal Law 8.078/90).

The Problems
ADUSEPS runs the Ouvidoria Popular project in 12 hospitals throughout Recife, that accommodates citizens of Recife and the surrounding state of Pernambuco. Most hospitals have a high rate of poor attendance, lack of hygeine and shortage of medicne. Hospitals have now become true "human deposits" where people undergo long waits in unhealthy surroundings, for even simple medical procedures. In many cases they leave in worse health than when they arrived.
Another major problem is the population's lack of awareness of their individual and collective rights in terms of healthcare - particularly those of the low socio-eonomic class. Although the law states that "health is a right of us all, and duty of the state", this is not put into practice by many hospitals, and is not demanded by patients as they are not aware they are entitled to it.

What we do
The Ouvidoria Popular project consists of trained professionals who oversee the social control of 12 hospitals throughout Recife on a daily basis. Teams consisting of four listeners, a co-ordinator and a director visit each of the 12 hospitals in Recife each day. Here, they set up "health points" where they can register complaints of patients, family or companions of patients, and even the officials of these institutions.

The "Ouvidore" teams will then act as mediators between the complainants and the officials, investigating the complaints, inspecting the activities of the hospital, and helping to set things straight. These teams will also inform the population of their rights and ensure these rights are respected by the offical institutions.

Ouvidoria Popular uses the press and the court system to it's advantage. For example, when a hospital is overcrowded, with patients sleeping in corridors and on the floor, the ADUSEPS team will visit the judge and lodge a complaint. The judge will then order the closest private hospital to provide healthcare free of charge, as the constitution entitles all citizens of Brazil heathcare when needed. ADUSEPS will also contact the press, who will then run a story on the poor conditions of this hospital.

If necessary, ADUSEPS will represent the population in the court of law, to obtain solutions and ask for public actions to ensure the law and the rights of the people are respected. Brazil has a very good constitution that protects the rights of the people, however, due to lack of public awareness, the people often don't know they have these rights, making it easy for hospitals to abuse their rights. Ouvidoria Popular works to ensure the hospitals do not abuse the rights of the people.

Ouvidoria Popular also educates the people using the public healthcare, of their constitutional rights. While visiting the hospitals, the "Ouvidore" teams give out free brochures, leaflets and information about what people are entitled to.