Lecture on
“Brazil and India: Comparative Perspectives on Public Health Policies”

by Joao Reis Nunes
Lecturer in International Relations, Department of Politics, University of York, UK

Thursday | 25 January 2018 | 11.00 am – 12.30 pm

Organized by the Lusophone Society of Goa
in collaboration with the Brazilian Cultural Centre in Goa and the International Centre Goa

Entry Free | Open to public

Brazil and India: Comparative Perspectives on Public Health Policies

Brazil has been on the spotlight of global health. The recent Zika epidemic has placed great challenges upon an already overburdened public health system. The world has watched closely as the country sought to control mosquitoes, contain the spread of the disease and at the same time respond to the immediate and long-term health
needs of families affected by the rise of microcephaly and neurological disorders associated with Zika. But the Zika epidemic is a symptom of a long-standing problem in Brazil regarding the ways in which this country has designed and implemented its public health policies in recent years. The Brazilian case thus offers important lessons for other countries, in particular those, like India, that are grappling with mosquito-borne diseases.

This lecture examines the Brazilian response to Zika in the context of the country’s broader socioeconomic and political context. It asks what other countries, particularly those in the Global South, can learn from the Brazilian public health response. It considers the shortcomings of the response and how they can be addressed in future outbreaks. At the same time, and looking in particular at Brazil’s community health worker programme, the talk discusses the extent to which the Brazilian case offers potentially innovative solutions for global health problems.