The role of Santa Casa in the Brazilian public health system: a historical survey of a philanthropic institution

Abstract

This article1 aims at analyzing the evolution of the interaction between the Santas Casas and the Brazilian Public Health stemmed from the historical research of the Santa Casa de Mogi Mirim. This qualitative research was based on data collected by means of documentary research on the historical survey of the Santa Casa and the Brazilian health system, identifying the level of interaction between the institution and hospital care. The result of this comparative historical analysis demonstrated the intensification of the relationship between Santa Casa and the public health system, starting from a null interaction in the beginning of the 19th century that turns into a codependency with numerous disputes and very subtle limits in the beginning of the 21st century.