23 / 126
23
In order to understand public policies and
their effects, contributing to debate in the
networked society, FGV’s Department of Public
Policy Analysis (DAPP) has the mission of
improving transparency and dialogue between
the state and society, as well as promoting
national development.
In 2016, DAPP launched a new line of applied
research, called “Health in Numbers”, which is
aimed at promoting transparency in Brazilian
health policy through public data combined
with network analysis, new technologies and
data visualization. The idea of the new area is
to look for innovative solutions to transform
collected data into information that the public
can easily understand.
The initiative was begun with the publication of
a study into dengue fever numbers in Brazil, in
order to consolidate different data sources so as
to provide high-quality information for decision
making. The study, which provided an overview of
the country’s epidemic, found that the city of Rio de
Janeiro recorded 2,500 cases of dengue in January
and February 2016 alone, up from 319 occurrences
in the same period of 2015, according to figures
from the Municipal Health Secretariat.
The study also identified a discrepancy between
data collected by state and municipal health
secretariats, due to different counting methods.
While the municipal government recorded more
than 2,000 cases in the city of Rio de Janeiro in
2016, the state government only counted 246.
In another analysis, the study focused on
the federal government’s budget for fighting
epidemics, of which dengue fever is the main
one. Using data on financial transfers to states,
used for health surveillance activities, it was
identified that the spending execution rate fell
to less than half between 2013 and 2015.
Also within the scope of the “Health in
Numbers” research line, a pilot project was
developed to use drones to improve the
efficiency of surveillance and control policies
for the type of mosquito that transmits dengue.
This technology permits inspections of closed
properties, which the public authorities are
otherwise unable to access, and it enables large
areas to be inspected in a short space of time,
using less public funds. In addition, drones can
boost social engagement, attracting attention
and mobilizing local people to voluntarily
identify potential mosquito breeding sites.
Accordingly, the applied research conducted by
DAPP in the health area seeks to shed light on
information able to help the state produce more
efficient policies and also support widespread
involvement in public debate.