As we move forward on our journey to a successful business, we will begin to address topics relevant to the most common segments of the market, and there is no better way to start than by talking about the health sector.
Yes, health sector, because this area has requirements and impacts on several segments, areas such as:
Hygiene, Aesthetics, Food and Health are the main ones to mention. If you have or intend to open a business in these areas, this text is for you!
Here we will give a good introduction to the subject and instructions for the first steps.
Health Permit
It is common to ask ourselves what a Permit is, but know that a Permit is a License, a permission to perform or explore a service of an activity and/or location. Each municipality has its own laws that govern these permissions, based on the national code, represented by ANVISA – National Health Surveillance Agency.
To better help you, we will focus on common questions, because as we said above, each municipality has its own rules. Some notable points are the city of São Paulo, which is a reference in its legislation.
Health Surveillance
If every municipality has its own rules, then every municipality has its own agency and/or secretariat, established by the public administration and responsible for regulating and monitoring activities that impact its area of operation.
For example, in São Paulo, we have:
According to the Sanitary Code of the Municipality of São Paulo (Law 13,725, of January 9, 2004), the actions of Sanitary Surveillance encompass the set of measures capable of eliminating, reducing or preventing health risks and
intervening in sanitary problems arising from the environment, including work, production and circulation of goods and the provision of services of interest to health.
The common responsibilities of a Surveillance Department are:
The Sanitary Surveillance Department is responsible for exercising public health duties, with the objective of enforcing sanitary legislation.
The Municipal Secretary of Health accredits, through an ordinance, as sanitary authorities, municipal public servants with a university degree, allocated to the Municipal Health Department.
Does my activity require a License?
To apply for a Health License, Companies/Establishments that are subject to registration with the Health Surveillance Agency (as explained above, in the main areas), in accordance with the legislation in force in their municipality, must check their CNAE – National Classification of Economic Activities, that is, the activity(ies) that the establishment performs.
This can be done by consulting your accountant or even online, through government portals. This information will provide the appropriate direction for your request. However, if you want to have peace of mind and stay focused on your business, you can count on the services of companies specialized in obtaining and renewing documents.
Each activity has its own particularities and may have more or less documentary requirements, as well as greater complexity in obtaining, since its impact can be significant and even require state documentation or a national opinion.
The departments usually provide information according to the division of categories and their requirements.
Therefore, it is not enough to obtain the license, but to maintain it you will have to constantly adopt good practices.
To illustrate this, let us mention some from the food industry:
“Good Food Handling Practices are the organizational and hygiene practices necessary to ensure safe food involving all stages: selection of suppliers, purchase, receipt, pre-preparation, preparation, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution and display for sale to the end consumer.”
Now, let us look at an example of an item for service providers in the health sector (in this specific case, the dentistry sector):
“Physical area in good condition, hygiene and cleanliness, suitable for the activities to be carried out, containing notices regarding the prohibition of smoking, in all areas of the establishment, in a visible manner, as determined by paragraph 3 of article 2 of State Law 13.541, of 07/05/09; (…)”
These notions are of great importance, both for the application for the license and for its maintenance and possible inspections.
The legislation is broad but is very clear regarding the necessary care with health and cleanliness, and ANVISA standards are internationally recognized as being of extreme quality in their requirements.
Today's article is an introduction to the subject, to conceptualize our reader clearly and objectively, as we like to do in our posts. Our next topic will focus on obtaining the License, ask your questions here in the comments and we will answer them in the next text.
Hugs and see you soon!
Suelem Ribeiro
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