A solemn meeting with the participation of Minister of Health Nísia Trindade, president of Fiocruz Mário Moreira, alongside representatives of institutions with an important role in the technological development and innovation in health in Brazil and the world. This is how the official opening of G-Stic Rio took place, a global conference that discusses the challenges and solutions for preventing and combating health emergencies, such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Paulo Gadelha, former president of Fiocruz and current coordinator of the Foundation's program focused on the UN Agenda 2023 and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighted the importance of the purpose of G-Stic. For him, it is essential that there is a pact between civil society and the scientific community in the search for solutions and in the fight against misinformation.

Community participation in building solutions to health challenges was a common point in the speeches of the opening panel participants. After thanking the presence of Hayne Felipe, executive director of Fiotec, master sponsor of the event, Mário Moreira, president of Fiocruz, mentioned the Foundation's work in organizing the first G-Stic held in South America and highlighted Fiocruz's commitment to the sustainable development made in Rio 92. “About 4.5 million deaths occur every year, for reasons related to pollution. Many of them could be avoided if we invested more in the transition of our energy matrix”, he commented.

Fiocruz's actions during the Covid-19 pandemic, with initiatives developed in partnership with the surrounding communities, was remembered by Socorro Gross, representative of the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO). She highlighted the great inequality in access to health in the Americas, a reality that makes the existence of institutions like Fiocruz even more important. “It is possible that innovation has a human, social face”.

The opening ceremony of G-Stic, this Monday, ended with a speech by Nísia Trindade, former president of Fiocruz and current Minister of Health in Brazil. According to her, the conference takes place as a milestone in efforts to recover everything that could not be done during the Covid-19 pandemic. “Innovation needs to be at the service of everyone, that there is equity also in the field of technology and innovation”, she defended, noting that practically half of the world's population does not have access to essential health services.

Post-Covid recovery strategies and preparedness for future health crises
International leaders in the field of science shared their experiences during and after the pandemic, debating how initiatives should be thought of in a preventive and universal way. Marco Krieger, vice-president of Production and Innovation in Health (VPPIS) at Fiocruz, said that it is important to value and use local resources well in the fight against health emergencies. This viewpoint is shared by Lieve Fransen, consultant for social, health and migration policies at the European Policy Centre. For Lieve, a large part of the losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were caused by the loss of confidence in science, and that real and lasting solutions will come from cooperation between countries, uniting successful local initiatives from around the world.

The meeting was held in the central auditorium of G-Stic, moderated by Paulo Gadelha and with the participation of leaders from health institutions from around the world.