Assistance Regulatory in Recife: possibilities and limits in promoting access

Abstract

The research analyzed the evolution of a service of regulation of care at the Municipal Health Management in Recife, between 2001 to 2008, from the point of view of access with equity and integrality. A case study was conducted, having the managers from Municipal Health Department of Recife as its subjects. Content analysis was used in a thematic typology, taking as basis the concepts of government triangle, accessibility and network. It was seen that although the municipality implemented organizational arrangements for care regulation, it has neither invested in the regulation of its own specialized services, nor analyzed the potential capacity of these services. The Consultation and Specialized Exams Regulation Service absorbed only 9.5% of the procedures of medium complexity under municipal management. Moreover, little was invested in the expansion of the solvability of primary care, which contributed to keep a possibly artificial demand for specialized services. The possibility of greater organizational accessibility through the regulation of care was reduced to a process of organizing the existing demand to the capability of supply of SUS' supplementary (private) network in Recife. In some cases, this was defined by the interests of the very private sector, over which the regulation implemented by the municipal administration had reduced power of definition. The centralizing action of the Municipal Health Department hindered the creation of a shared regulatory complex between different levels of management. It is concluded that the regulation of care in the sphere of the municipalities can hardly promote full and equal access if it acts only over the services under municipal management, if it does not form regional networks of care and agreements between public entities for continued care and if it acts without subordinating private interests to the welfare needs of the population.