Water and health: (dis)integration of surveillance and the lessons of practice

The integration of intra and inter-sectoral actions in health care is a challenge for municipal managers, once fragmented data generation and analysis of dissociated information prevail in the daily practice of the service, resulting in barriers to integrated planning. A possible path to that desired functional integration permeates the establishment of permanent communication channels, enabling the joint programming of interventions involving different departments and sectors. An evaluation of the process of articulation between the epidemiological surveillance and environmental health related to drinking water (Vigiagua), developed in the municipality of Contagem-MG, identified through content analysis of interviews with the coordination of the Environmental Health Surveillance, the factors that interfere with their institutionalization. The search for greater appreciation of the work area and by professionals of the Vigiagua, and the expectation of bringing together different agents and areas of expertise in solving common problems were identified as key drivers and facilitators of the process. Still, the obstacles identified were: human and financial resources; inadequate materials; lack of technical and managerial autonomy to establish cohesive communication channels; and incipient planning practice in the service. Seminars and meetings were characterized as spaces of interaction and dialogue in the service and allowed an approximation of central-level managers to "executors" of local authorities. However, the stimulus to this dialogue should be continuous, which requires training and desire of managers and professionals for this exercise.