To my everlasting friends in the HiveLearners community, my warmest greetings!
I believe that everyone must agree that maintaining health is something desirable and prolonging our life, with the goal of living well, seems to be unanimous. It does not seem reasonable or sensible for someone to want to shorten their stay on planet Earth in a conscious and rational way. So let's be honest: the better the state of conservation of our body and mind, the better!
Wouldn't it be wonderful if someone, your friend, helped us remember to check the state of our health year after year? What if this entity concerned with your care was the government? Have you ever imagined the government demanding your presence for arbitrary appointments and exams, on a regular basis, and with restrictive consequences for those who were absent or tried to defraud this obligation?
Have you changed your mind about this person really being your friend?
Unfortunately, this already happens in Brazil!
But wait, I'll explain better.
Brazil has a public health system that is general, for the entire population, in the four corners of the country, and that is recognized worldwide for some aspects that are indeed commendable. But there is nothing that forces the population to attend this service and demand care, neither preventive nor... after preventive (I don't know the correct name).
However, there is a legal provision in the legislation that determines the execution of periodic health examinations for public servants. Despite the legal provision, this rule was not observed, at least until 2024. As of March 1, 2024, the government began to call on civil servants to undergo a series of annual periodic medical examinations:
I will write down part of the collection of exams that I found on the [Brazilian government] portal (
www.gov.br):
- Complete blood count
- Type 1 urine glucose
- Creatinine,
- Total cholesterol and triglycerides
- AST and ALT
- Ophthalmological
- Fecal occult blood test
- Mammography (for women)
- PSA (for men)
After obtaining the results of all the exams, the civil servant must return to the same clinic to undergo the final medical evaluation with the issuance of their Occupational Health Certificate, thus concluding their Periodic Medical Examinations. And the question everyone asks is: what if the civil servant refuses?
Currently, there is an option for the server to declare their refusal to participate in these exams. For this, *no sanctions will be applied. This may be related to the fact that the monitoring program is just beginning, and this may change in the future. In any case, other concerns have come to light:
Who would have access to the exams performed?
Initially, it would only be the server, the laboratory and the evaluating doctor. In a way, the data would be protected in a database maintained by the Brazilian state, with standard protections against data leaks.
Imagining that this service could be generalized is surreal. There is not enough structure to provide basic health care in all parts of the country, so it is not something that can happen in the short term. However, for the class of workers in the federal public service, it is already happening and it may be gradually expanded to other classes.
Professional drivers are also required to take exams
Whether they are app drivers or truck and heavy cargo professionals, they are already required to take periodic exams to renew their licenses, and the penalty is to lose their license if they fail or do not take the exam. This is already a reality. If this situation becomes normal, in a short time other professions may start to require certificates of good health to qualify their professionals to work in the market.
What do you think?