Creation of the primary health care secretariat and its implications for SUS

Abstract

On May 20, 2019, one day after the world’s celebration of the Family Physician’s Day, the Ministry of Health published Decree N. 9,795 of May 17, 2019, which changed the organization chart of this federal body. For the first time in the country’s history, a specific Secretariat responsible for Primary Health Care and the Family Health Strategy (ESF) was created. The ESF celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. The new Primary Health Care Secretariat (SAPS) has three departments: the already existing Department of Strategic Programmatic Actions (DAPES), a Department of Family Health (DESF) and a new Department of Health Promotion (DPS). The Secretariat has, among its competencies, commitments that seek to meet structural challenges, even in the face of a budget constraint scenario that has been observed since 2014. Among the commitments are: (i) increasing the population’s access to family health units, (ii) definition of a new funding model based on health and efficiency results, (iii) definition of a new model for the provision and training of physicians for remote areas, (iv) strengthening of clinic and teamwork, v) expansion of the computerization of units and electronic medical records.