Bandeira Cientifica Project: The experience of education for public health system

 “Bandeira Científica” is a multidisciplinary project developed by University of São Paulo students.

The main purpose is to promote primary health in poor Brazilian cities allied with undergraduate students recognition of cities needs. It involves several activities, such as medical consultations, educational stuff for citizens and local professionals. It also demands researches on the population’s habits, on their desires and main problems, and studies for changes in the infrastructure, such as sanitation system and production modes, especially in the rural area.

The project has a one-year cycle since 1957 and is divided into three main phases: Planning time: when the organizing committee choose the destination and prepares the city and students for the main expedition; Expedition lasting 10 days: when the main activities take place, and; Follow-up: with shorter visits to the city, for results discussion and development of other educational and training actions.The last expedition happened from December 10^th to 21^st in Penalva, in the countryside of Maranhão. The city has 45.000 inhabitants. 242 students and 60 professors and professionals took part in the expedition.

The main results were Consultations: 6.230 medical, 432 physical-therapy, 328 nutritional, 519 dentistry; Exams: 1.562 including ultra-sound, cervical smears and electrocardiogram; Educational lectures: 110. The follow-up included: All patients received the need medicines. 325 patients were directed to reference regional hospitals and all of them received treatment, 514 pairs of glasses and 48 dental prostheses were donated. The lectures and workshops with leaderships propagate to the whole population. The technical reports supply the cities with low cost projects. Workshops for pit construction and postural exercises were developed due to the deficiencies observed in these fields. All reports were presented and discussed with city administrators.

In Conclusion the project is a well established initiative to ally the public health development with conscious undergraduate formation.