Electronic System for Public Consultations (BR0068)

to implement an electronic system with the aim of making the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA)’s Public Consultation process, with emphasis on the FormSUS, more accessible, agile and transparent. Furthermore, it shall provide for real time monitoring of contributions. The project’s primary objective is to ensure greater transparency of contributions and encourage social participation in AVISA’s Public Consultations.

Commitment 3.10. Electronic System for Public Consultations

Commitment text: To implement an electronic system with the aim of making the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA)’s Public Consultation process, with emphasis on the FormSUS, more accessible, agile and transparent. Furthermore, it shall provide for real time monitoring of contributions. The project’s primary objective is to ensure greater transparency of contributions and encourage social participation in AVISA’s Public Consultations.

Responsible institution: Ministry of Health

Supporting institution: None

Start date: Not specified                          End date: 14 November 2014

Commitment aim

This commitment attempted to improve the online consultation system of the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency, and to adopt the FormSUS tool to visualise all contributions received. In addition, the FormSUS produces a Contribution Report that compiles the suggestions and returns quantitative information about the consultation.

Status

Midterm: Completed

Since 2013, all public consultations for proposed regulatory acts are held via FormSUS, a system that compiles consultation contributions and produces quantitative information about the consultations. For additional details, please see the IRM Midterm Progress Report.

Did it open government?

Access to information: Marginal

Civic participation: Marginal

Public accountability: Marginal

The commitment improved the civic participation tool on the consultation portal of the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency. The tool, which was implemented before the start of the action plan, enhanced open government in two ways. First, it increased the quality of information published during and after each consultation, because it publishes online, by default, all contributions made during the consultation period. For example, the tool recorded 1,578 contributions on 33 proposed regulatory acts in 2013. Participation varied by consultation though, as evidenced by the proposed provision on allergies in 2014, which received 3,500 contributions. The second improvement was that FormSUS bolstered public accountability by automatically sending the result of consultations to all individuals who participated in the process. The government is further required to explicitly address which contributions were considered or not in the feedback form. Finally, FormSUS was well-received. According to the government self-assessment report, 87% of users found the tool easy to use, 86% found input fields and instructions clear, and 83% indicated that the look and feel of the form was good or very good. There is also evidence of greater public use of the consultation site since the beginning of the commitment. In 2013, 63 public consultations were hosted by the platform. This number grew to 108, 114, and 169 in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively.

Carried forward?

This commitment was not included in Brazil’s third action plan. If it is carried forward in the future, the IRM researcher advises adjusting the tool to open data formats, distributing it as free software, and improving the report-back system to highlight the long-term impacts of consultations on public policies. In addition, it is important to expand this practice to other consultation processes.