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This paper is an excerpt of an ethnographic study conducted within a doctoral program in a Complementary and Integrative Practices referral unit located in Peruíbe-SP, Brazil. It presents an analysis of the implementation of a Municipal Policy on Complementary and Integrative Practices (MPCIP), including participant observation of meetings held with workers and managers, field diaries, documents from the Brazilian Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization, legislation, and reports of those involved. The analysis was based on hermeneutic interpretation (GEERTZ, 1989), and the main challenges faced during the process are presented. Even though the format of the MPCIP in Peruíbe meets national and international requirements, it only warranted legal-institutional aspects. Despite advancements in policy development, there remain political and operational challenges to its implementation and expansion, which shall be overcome to fully implement Complementary and Integrative Practices in the city's health service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most policies, explicitly or implicitly, involve sharing responsibilities between different organizations, such as departments, government spheres, ministries, or private organizations. Thus, in recent decades, networks have become increasingly common in public policies. The Brazilian health system - given its size and geographic scope - is an example of complexity and sometimes fragmentation in policy implementation. In this context, the government adopts the concept of Healthcare Networks (RASs) in the operation of its health system. A characteristic that defines RASs is their regional character, since it is necessary to go beyond the municipal borders for the optimization of resources. This scenario of interregional relations becomes denser when the territory in question is configured in an urban superstructure, as is the case in metropolitan regions. Thus, this paper proposes the discussion of the case of Healthcare Networks in the Brazilian metropolitan regions and describes, in greater detail, the case of Campinas Metropolitan Region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the conduct of the federal primary health care politics in Brazil in the 2000's, seeking to identify elements of continuity and change in the previous period. The research was based on the theoretical framework of historical institutionalism and the concept of path dependence. The methodology included a variety of strategies: literature review, document analysis, analysis of secondary databases, budget analysis and interviews with key stakeholders of the policy. It was possible to identify continuities and changes in the conduct of national policy for federal primary care during the study period. The predominance of continuities, emphasizing the persistence of the Family Health Program as a hegemonic strategy for reorientation of primary care in the country, creates a condition of path-dependence. There were also incremental changes, such as initiatives to strengthen inter-sectoral coordination and important innovations, notably the creation of the Centers for Family Health Support. There are, however, structural problems within primary care, and it is important to overcome them to enable the effective change in the health care model in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The population access to the secondary health care services is being pointed, by managers and researchers, as one of the challenges to the implementation of integrality in the Brazilian National Health System (SUS). This paper aims to evaluate the mechanisms used by SUS manager's, in the city of São Paulo, to guarantee medical assistance, from 2005 to 2008. The strategy of case study was chosen, using as data sources such as managers interviews, focus groups with SUS users, and participative observation. Thematic analysis was performed on health services organization, with theoretical references of the integrality concept. We tried to describe the path covered by the users to have access to the services, based on the view of users and managers. Secondary health care services were identified by managers as the "neck of a bottle" and one of the main obstacle to the SUS integrality. To overcome this situation, the municipal manager invested in the computerization of services, as an isolated step, and still, without considering user's needs. However, this technological incorporation had low impact on the improvement of the population access to the secondary health care services, which was confirmed by user's source. It is argued that to face such complex problem it will be necessary to articulate actions, not only in health politics but also in health services organization and also in the (re)organization of the working process in any other level of the health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to ponder over the various pro-change initiatives in health higher education in Brazil. A historical analysis is needed since prior experiences systematization and diffusion are important on attempting to build new pro-change proposals. Today we are pondering over active processes of teaching-learning because we have experienced proposals such as Community Medicine, the Professor Integrative Assistence Project, the PROUNI Program, the Rede UNIDA movement, the Curricular Guideline Law, Permanent Education in Health and the Activators' course. There is no need to discover the wheel all the time. It can be adapted and start to spin again. Taking a look into the past experiences and into the present needs helps in building a desirable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "social issue" has gained new relevance in the academic debate in the 90s, owing to the changes observed in relations between state, economy and society. In this debate, the issue of exclusion lies at the base of questions to state intervention, particularly with regard to the erosion of social protection systems. This paper, aiming to understand implications of these changes for health policy in Brazil, summarizes two distinct perspectives of social exclusion, which address the problem from the collapse of wage-based societies, and their impact on work; and, from the breakdown of the principles of solidarity's organization and the failure of the traditional concept of social rights. It concludes that health policy, part of the Brazilian social security system, would benefit from the enrichment of the concept of social right, the identification of appropriate means to a state action territorialized and consistent with the differentiation of social needs, and the analysis of inclusive interventions related to the core of the production and distribution of wealth systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]