The Office of the Ombudsman is a communication channel through which the population speaks up and the Institution responds, informs and educates. It is characterized by agility, impartiality and transparency.

The Ombudsman is nominated by the Minister of the Health and appointed by the President of the Republic for a two-year term, renewable only once. The Ombudsman is not allowed to hold any direct or indirect interest in any company or any persons subject to the areas of action of the Brazilian Sanitary Surveillance Agency. The Ombudsman enjoys full independence of action, and has no hierarchical link with the Collegiate Board of Directors, the Advisory Council or the Legal Affairs Office of ANVISA.

The Ombudsman is responsible for:

1. receiving denunciations or complaints from citizens and institutions and, within a maximum deadline of two working days, to direct these through the appropriate channels and to provide the person making the denunciation or complaint with a response, informing, if appropriate, of the steps to be taken henceforth;
2. providing responses to the demands within the agreed deadlines, and in the case of delay to request measures from the competent bodies in line with the following order of precedence: to the Director-Chairman, the Collegiate Board of Directors, and whenever appropriate to the Legal Affairs Office, the Internal Affairs Office or the Department of Justice.
3. producing monthly reports to the Collegiate Board of Directors containing information about the steps taken and the manner in which particular issues are being addressed within the Agency, as well as other pertinent matters.

(In accordance with Administrative Rule 593, of August 25, 2000, Annex II, Chapter III.)