The Process of Formulating the National Policy for Comprehensive Health of the Quilombola Population

Abstract The Quilombola population comprises one million and three hundred thousand people (0.65% of the Brazilian population), distributed across approximately eight thousand Quilombola communities. The demands of the National Coordination of Articulation of Rural Black Quilombola Communities regarding the need for a Quilombola health policy within the Unified Health System (SUS) resulted in the inclusion of the topic on the agenda, following discussions at the 17th National Health Conference (2023) and after extensive mobilizations by Quilombola social movements around guaranteeing the right to health in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. This theoretical essay aims to reflect on the stages of the formulation process of the National Policy for Comprehensive Health of the Quilombola Population (PNASQ/SUS). Thus, the reflections are based on the three stages of the formulation process in light of the policy cycle, namely: 1) outlining the problem and seeking solutions through studies of the health situation and workshops with managers, researchers, and civil society; 2) drafting the text of the PNASQ/SUS, implementation instrument, financing, monitoring and evaluation; 3) public consultation. The decision-making stage for implementation depends on a political agreement among the Ministry of Health, municipal and state managers.