Process of mischaracterization of Primary Health Care in the SUS in Campinas-SP, Brazil, during the pandemic

Abstract

This article examines supply of Primary Health Care in the city of Campinas (São Pau-lo state) during the COVID-19 pandemic, taking changes in the work process as its guide. This de-scriptive, qualitative study included participant observation and in-depth interviews of workers and users at four PHC facilities, from June 2021 to January 2022. The analyses found significant differences between the first and second years of the pandemic. At first, care strategies were disor-ganised and care for COVID-19 cases, limited. In the second year, home visits and routine care were resumed. This, added to the worsening social and public health context and new demands, such as vaccination, caused overwork and strained relations between health personnel and users. Also, collective and co-management arrangements were found to weaken, both at the municipal management level and at staff meetings and for social participation. In the post-pandemic con-text, Primary Health Care is challenged to restore these arrangements and care for health workers exhausted by the pandemic.