Considerations about the Family Health Program and the promotion of greater equity in health care policy

Abstract

In the Brazilian Constitution, equity in health care is considered equality guaranteed by free access to health services. This presupposes not only a quantitative division of resources but that they are steered toward reducing social inequalities through assistance programs. In this context, strategies such as the Family Health Program are understood to have allowed access to the health care system. The relationship between equity and assistance programs like FHP is discussed based in a review of papers by different authors. Opinions about the Family Health Program have changed over time, from criticism for having a narrow focus to being a form of affirmative action. Studies show that changes in the financing and planning of the system have established a close relationship between the participating municipalities and involved new actors in the process. This has brought greater access to basic care, without influencing the other levels of the system. For the Family Health Program to serve as a strategy for the inclusion of population segments that do not have access to health services, it should be incorporated into a broader policy that guarantees social support, universal rights and the effective implementation of the health policy.