Obstacles to public governance and their influence on oral healthcare in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze public governance in the regionalized healthcare network in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and its influence on decision-making in the organization of oral healthcare. This was an exploratory analytical study with a qualitative approach, with the methodology based on Grounded Theory. Thirty in-depth interviews were held with managers from the Regional Inter-Managers Commissions and Bipartite Commissions (CIR and CIB, respectively, in Portuguese), under the State Health Department, representatives from the State Health Councils, and administrators of specialized oral healthcare services, in two sample groups, in addition to nonparticipant observation in CIB meetings. After comparative data analysis, the theoretical model was formulated in which the central category was expressed in the title Influence of Failures in Governance on the Oral Healthcare Network: The Erratic Expansion of Services by Vertical Induction and Confirmation of the Peripheral Status Assigned to Oral Health. The governance practiced in the Santa Catarina State Health System displays well-established formal support structures, such as the consolidation of the CIR. However, weaknesses were identified that reveal problems in the governance systems’ legitimacy. The situation perpetuates the peripheral status assigned to the structuring of oral healthcare in network format and the erratic expansion of services, characterized by vertical induction and without contextualized recognition of oral health problems as guidance for planning the services. There is a need for greater public awareness and the inclusion of professionals and managers that can advocate for the importance of oral health as a major priority in public health policies.