Cross-Border Cooperation in Health, MERCOSUR: Challenges, experiences and protocol proposal

This document compiles the work carried out between the Social Institute of Mercosur and EUROsociAL +, in the COVID19 pandemic. The objective is to contribute to the creation of an action protocol that ensures the health service at the borders of the countries that are part of Mercosur: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. This protocol focuses on the types of obstacles identified, classified as: legal; administrative; governance; physical accessibility; health offer; data availability and accessibility; communication, information and digitization; cooperation program; and political. Good practices for the integration of European territories in health issues are also compiled to identify processes and references that are useful to Mercosur institutions.

Recognizing its strategic role in the dissemination and generation of inputs for the Member States, the MERCOSUR Social Institute, with the support of EUROsociAL +, finally presents the protocol proposal. With the aim of overcoming the obstacles that still prevent adequate healthcare and patient mobility from the respective border populations, emphasized by the COVID19 pandemic.