Performance and communication of the National Health Council in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract

Objective: this article presents the results of research that investigated the role of the National Health Council (CNS) in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil, examining the normative and non-normative acts issued by the CNS between February 2020 and May 2022, as well as evaluating how these acts were made available by the Council on its official website. Method: using a descriptive-analytical qualitative-quantitative approach, it was a documentary study in which 77 acts were identified, including recommendations (81%), opinions (7%), motions (6%), technical notes (2%), and resolutions (1%). Results and Conclusions: the analysis reveals that most documents were produced in the first year of the pandemic, with a predominance of recommendations, which are advisory in nature, over resolutions, which have binding character. Additionally, the study identified significant challenges in the dissemination of information on the CNS's official website, including the lack of detailed search filters, data outdatedness, and document dispersion, compromising the transparency and effectiveness of the council's actions.