Health and development in developing countries

A new debate regarding the role of the government and a new discussion about the concept of development is gaining force worldwide because of the poor results in terms of socioeconomic development presented by developing countries which adopted pro-market reforms. As health is one of the underlying axes of social protection policies and, at the same time, one of the most important industries in world economics, comprising a genuine industrial complex of health care, public health policy should be positioned to face this theoretical and political challenge. Since development can be understood as a blend of economic growth, changes in the production structure and better living standards, the healthcare industrial complex plays a crucial role in this process, as a field where technological innovation and capital build-up generate opportunities for investment, work and income, in addition to spurring major steps forward in terms of upgrading individual health. The recent adoption of public policies aimed at coordinating aspects of economics and social policies in a positive manner reveals that the issue of national development has gained a central position in the governmental agenda, generating the prospect of greater integration between the economic rationale and sanitary rationale. However, it must be admitted that Brazil has not yet achieved a virtuous association between healthcare and development. In order to contribute to creating a renewed idea about health and development, the main objective of this work is to formulate a theoretical analysis of the health and development policies in Brazil, from developmentism until the present day.