Rights to health and struggles for accountability in a Brazilian municipal health council
Abstract
This chapter is about how citizens in the small north-eastern Brazilian municipality of Cabo de Santo Agostinho, in the state of Pernambuco, have sought to realise the right to health through efforts to exact accountability from their municipal government. It tells the story of the evolution of the town’s municipal health council, and reflects on some of the challenges for the realisation of the right to health that persist. It begins by introducing the health councils, their structure and functions, and the political context out of which they arose. It then goes on to explore the origins and evolution of the municipal health council in Cabo. Focusing on some of its successes and shortcomings in the pursuit of accountability, the chapter reflects on some of the challenges faced by citizen actors in pursuing the right to health through these institutions.
Owing to copyright restrictions, only the first 3 pages are attached, together with a link to the book at Zed Books.
Citation
Cornwall, A.; Cordeiro, S.; Giordano Delgado, N. Rights to health and struggles for accountability in a Brazilian municipal health council. In: Rights, Resources and the Politics of Accountability.. Zed Books, London, (2006) ISBN 9781842775547