Characteristics of the AIDS response of health departments in the context of the Incentive Policy of the Ministry of Health

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the coverage of the Brazilian Ministry of Health's Incentive Policy for AIDS programs and the characteristics of prevention, care, management and support to civil society organizations induced in states and municipalities. METHODS: The 2006 Action and Target Plans of the 27 Brazilian States and 427 municipalities enlisted in the Incentive Policy were analyzed according to indicators established to measure the complexity and sustainability of actions taken, the inclusion of priority populations, and the ability to address the epidemic. Information on population and on AIDS cases that were reported was used to measure the coverage of the Incentive Policy. RESULTS: The studied municipalities covered 85.2% of AIDS cases in the country. There was a low proportion of state (48.2%) and municipal (32.6%) departments that simultaneously adopted actions aimed at AIDS prevention in the general and in higher disease prevalence populations, as well as HIV diagnosis, treatment of infected individuals and mother-child transmission. Additionally, 51.9% of the states and 31.1% of the municipalities planned specific prevention and care actions aimed at priority population segments. States (44.4%) and municipalities (27.9%) with comprehensive responses are concentrated in the Southeast region, mainly in large cities, and represent most of the AIDS cases in the country. CONCLUSION: The Incentive Policy of the Ministry of Health comprises the regions with the highest incidences of AIDS, but the profile of the induced response is in partial disagreement with the epidemiological characteristics of the disease in Brazil.