On a policy of science and technology for health

Abstract

Facing the Brazilian ongoing general Science and Technology policies, the text claims for a privileged position for the Health Research Policy. That claim arises from its physical dimension, from its historical tradition and from its place into the general architecture of the Unified Health System. The text is presented in three parts, after a preliminary warn about the impact of current Brazilian political conjuncture on the general Science and Technology policy. In the first part a particular way of defining the policy boundaries is proposed. Following that, is established a specific and important place of the Collective Health field in the construction of the policy. Finally, a set of policy challenges is presented and discussed.