Ombudsman (Ouvidoria) is the channel between the Agency and society:
Interview with Franklin Rubinstein (Ombudsman from Feb/2000 to Nov/2003)

Psychiatrist Franklin Rubinstein, 58 years old , is the first Ombudsman of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA). After his name was submitted to the Minister of the Health by the ANVISA Directorate , Franklin was appointed to the post by the President of the Republic for a two year mandate, beginning in February 2000, extendable for a two further years . Federal civil servant on the staff of the Brazilian Ministry of Health since 1969 and former Director of the Regional Medical Council of Rio de Janeiro, Franklin says that his professional experience in listening to complaints, concerns and a wide range of different problems, as well as trying to understand the point of view of others, is certainly useful in his current job. To date, Franklin has worked hard to build up the Ombudsman's Office . He has also done valuable work in setting up operating practices in ANVISA in an endeavour to facilitate access to, and response from, the various technical divisions of the Agency.

1. Please say something about the work of the Ombudsman:
Franklin: The Ombudsman's Office owes it existence to the Law which created ANVISA. The Ombudsman was appointed in February 2000 and the Office began functioning soon after. The idea was that the Office should represent society vis-à-vis the Agency in matters guaranteeing people's rights, and at the same time help to carry out the Agency's basic mandate. The Ombudsman is appointed in his own right by the President of the Republic and does not depend organizationally on the Collegiate Directorate. In this way, his autonomy is guaranteed and he is in a position to carry out tasks within his independent remit. The two year-old mandate is renewable for two further years. The Ombudsman is responsible for receiving allegations, complaints and suggestions (as well as a measure of praise) concerning services rendered by the Health Surveillance services and to ensure that these are sent through the correct channels for a response and a solution.

2. Does the Ombudsman's Office need to liaise closely with other areas of the Agency?
Franklin: It needs to interact with all sectors and divisions of the Agency and to be thoroughly familiar with its overall operation.

3. As an observer in a special position within the health surveillance area, how do you regard ANVISA today?
Franklin: ANVISA was conceived over a relatively short period. It is modelled on the basis of modern legislation and in this respect is similar to other national regulatory organs. It is however still at the organization and growth stage, having inherited the functions of the old National Secretariat for Health Surveillance. It has also acquired a series of new functions as an Agency. A number of activities have not yet been fully taken on board and there still exist a number of gaps in the Agency's governing legislation. The system as a whole is very broadly based and complex. Difficulties are gradually being dealt with as they arise. Some of our current challenges consist of for example the question of decentralization, obtaining fully-qualified human resources for the system to work correctly and carrying out our inspection and registration targets, within the remit of the Agency. My view is that the Ombudsman's Unit is inevitably going through the same situation as the rest of the Agency. We are now in the process of working out our modus operandi and consolidating our links with the mission-objective areas of the organisation. Our main aim is to qualify ourselves to be in a position to deal with the demands made upon the Agency by society, and to act as a kind of catalyst aimed at improving the quality of the services provided.

4. Is there now more demand for contact with ANVISA compared to the old Secretariat?
Franklin: Traditionally, the main interlocutors were the economic agents linked to the production and marketing of goods and services subject to the health surveillance regime. The legislation foreshadows new channels of communication being opened. And I must say that this is what ANVISA is doing in practice. Current examples are the activities undertaken by the Advisory Council, by the technical and sectorial chambers, Infovisa, of the User Speaks ("Fala Usuário") facility and of the Ombudsman's Office itself. In this respect, the services of the Ombudsman have been increasingly called upon.

5. What do the latter consist of?
Franklin: E-mail, telephone, fax, letter, personally and through the Dial Health (Disque Saúde) line. As regards this last service, it is worth mentioning that we are discussing the possibility of also joining the official 0800 contact line. This will make it easier for us to receive all kinds of queries. Contact can be made with us at the following address: SEPN Quadra 515, Bloco B, Edifício Ômega, 1 Subsolo, Brasília (DF) - CEP (ZIP CODE) 70770-502. Telephones: (61) 448.1382/1235 and 1144. Our E-mail is the following:ouvidoria@anvisa.gov.br.

In addition, the Dial Health service can be reached at the following telephone number: 0800 61 1997.

6. Is it possible to give an idea about those areas which attract more complaints and those which attract fewer?
Franklin: The medicines registration and inspection areas in ANVISA give rise to many enquiries, but these are not strictly speaking "complaints". Rather, they are generally queries about matters to do with those particular areas. The Ports, Airports and Borders Division, plus the Health Products Unit, receive many enquiries. Surprisingly, we receive a large number of requests for information related to the inspection of products and services that fall within the proper remit of the State and Municipal health surveillance services, such as those connected with the retail food sector. We are now liaising with the Information Division with regard to the possibility of developing a computerised system to manage information so that our output can become better targeted, quicker and more reliable.