'Programa de saúde da família' (family's health program) and community agent: demands for more than basic health

Abstract

This article discusses, from a social-historical perspective of health policies in Brazil, the 'Programa de Saúde da Família' - 'PSF' (Family's Health Program). Through studies of health policies, it is observed the inclusion/exclusion of populational groups and/or problematics not usually dealt with by health services, as well as differentiated patterns of social protection, which act directly in the life of the target population. The goal of this work is to discuss the inclusion and the exclusion of those populational group's demands, as a result of the action of the 'Programa de Saúde da Família' (Family's Health Program), with a focus on the actions of communitary agents. This research took place in the district of Belém, in the city São Paulo, where the staff of 'PSF' was interviewed, and the actions of five communitary health agents were tracked. These agents work in a poor region of São Paulo's extended downtown, characterized by the presence of slums. In this region there are organized groups with high level of participation in social movements - mainly housing movements. Three communitary agents are members of these movements, and two of them are leaders in their communities. By analyzing these communitary agents' actions and their understanding of the program whose execution they are responsible for, in the communities, we discuss the actions traditionally seen as of ´basic health´, as well as their relations with the so called 'health's basic actions'.