Primary health care is the gateway to the health system in Brazil. In the covid-19 pandemic, its capabilities for prevention, monitoring, and care for mild cases could have avoided the overburdening of hospitals and emergencies.
Conclusion by researchers from UnB (University of Brasília), Fuecruz Minas (Institut Rene Racho) and FGV EAESP (Business School of the State of São Paulo of the Getulio Vargas Foundation) in an article published on Monday (28) in “Revista Brasileira de Medicina da Família e Comunidade”.
The authors analyzed documents published during the first year of the pandemic, such as recommendations from the Ministry of Health and government agencies such as Kunas (National Council of Health Trustees).
Technical notes published by scientific societies such as SBMFC (Brazilian Society of Family and Community Medicine). The aim was to validate the technical contributions of work in primary health care, which includes services such as family health strategy and procedures such as vaccination and testing.
Researcher Michelle Fernández, one of the authors of the article, explains that primary care can easily reach the population, as it has qualities in the Brazilian territory and is present in areas of social vulnerability.
“This gives primary health care the ability to map and recommend isolation of suspected cases, and this is a very effective mechanism for slowing down infection. It makes sense to stop progression at that first moment,” he notes.
Fernandez points out that other entities, such as states and municipalities, have organized the fight against the coronavirus in the absence of national coordination. Even after nearly three years since the start of the pandemic, there is still time for MS to act more resolutely on several fronts in the fight against COVID-19, particularly in the area of vaccination, the researcher highlights: “We already have a vaccine for the entire population. More than six months ago, it was updated for the new strains, but the Ministry of Health has not yet purchased vaccines with this update, ”he highlights.
According to the author, it is also necessary for the public administration to pay attention to the well-being of primary health care professionals, who have worked on several fronts since the beginning of the pandemic.
“We have professionals who deal with new cases in triage and long-term care, and much of that demand comes from primary care. We also have specialists who are actively working on vaccination. They are overworked, have poor mental health, the current government has not set up a policy to care for these professionals.” Fernandez confirms.
The study highlights the importance of coordination by the Ministry of Health for the successful functioning of PHC and its teams throughout Brazil. “Another interesting finding is the involvement of actors other than government agencies in redefining public policy for primary health care,” Fernandez continues, referring to the contribution of scientific networks and entities in the period analyzed.
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