The result of meticulous work and joint efforts, the text was approved by the Chamber of Deputies on December 13th and now awaits presidential sanction. This is a crucial step towards institutionalizing the use of technology to promote health in an inclusive and safe manner for all.
On December 13, the Chamber of Deputies approved Bill No. 1998/2020, which defines and regulates the practice of telehealth in the country, in accordance with the opinion of Deputy Pedro Vilela, for the approval of the text of the Chamber and the rejection of the amendments of the Senate, with the exception of the amendment of Senator Mara Gabrilli, which establishes the competence of the Unified Health System to develop actions to improve neonatal care, with the offer of actions and services to prevent brain damage and neurological sequelae in newborns, including through telehealth.
THE The project now goes to the President for approval.
This is an important step towards the democratization of healthcare in Brazil and consolidates the meticulous work developed over the last few years, with joint efforts and leadership from the author, federal deputy Adriana Ventura, and the rapporteur, federal deputy Pedro Vilela.
The wording constitutes a guiding and principled vision that converges between the different actors in the sectors and provides legal certainty for the practice of telehealth in Brazil.
The legal approval of telehealth will guarantee access to medical care, including specialized care, for users of the health system who are located in regions that do not have satisfactory health coverage. According to Caio Soares, president of Saúde Digital Brasil, the law will bring legal certainty to professionals, companies, the public system, municipal managers, and other actors involved in the provision of health services. This is a huge step forward in enabling technology to be used as a health provider.
“Some laws are mandatory, while others are a consequence of changes in behavior. In the case of telemedicine, people have already changed their behavior, making regulatory procedures easier over the years. Therefore, this regulation provides legal certainty and helps to establish boundaries, allowing us to develop more solutions and advance technology so that we can continue using telehealth to expand access,” concludes Soares.
About Digital Health Brazil
Saúde Digital Brasil is a non-profit organization created to bring together entities that operate in the telehealth service provision chain or that develop activities related to digital health.
Founded in 2020, the entity's main goal is to represent the interests of telecommunications providers.lessaúde and telemedicine and developers of health technologies. In addition, Saúde Digital Brasil works to contribute to the improvement of the healthcare model and encourage scientific-technological development, innovation and qualified and sustainable development of the health sector.
