Os Núcleos de Apoio à Saúde da Família e Atenção Básica (NASF-AB) no estado do Rio de Janeiro: implantação, avanços e perspectivas

Abstract

The NASF was thought of as a powerful device with the aim of promoting changes in care practices and in the ways in which a Familia Health Strategy team works. Since its implementation, 14 years ago, it has been the object of inquiries about its role. Significant changes in the scope of Brazilian Primary Care have been taking place in recent years, putting the maintenance of these teams at risk. The general objective of the study was to describe the management and financing model of the NASF in the state of Rio de Janeiro, its potential and the challenges within the scope of the PNAB. The specific objectives sought to understand the main conceptual and management changes of the NASF imposed by the PNAB 2012 and PNAB 2017, comparatively analyzing their advances and limits; describe and analyze the history of implementation of NASF teams within the state of Rio de Janeiro, from the publication of Ordinance nº154 from 2008 to 2021; describe the State Financing Program for Primary Health Care (PREFAPS) in the state of Rio de Janeiro from 2019 to 2021 and discuss the role of PREFAPS and its influence on the maintenance and strengthening of NASF in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The methodological course followed the following steps: bibliographic review; survey of normative documents related to the NASF, the PNAB and the financing of PHC; secondary data collection, related to the number of NASF teams implemented and registered; coverage of PHC and ESF and population data from the ERJ; document analysis and description of the results. As results pointed out, it is reported that although the adherence of municipalities to the NASF proposal in the ERJ is considered satisfactory in the expansion of teams, in the period from 2008 to 2016, it is observed that its implementation took place in a heterogeneous way in the Regions. In the period from 2017 to 2021, there was a reduction in these teams in the state, an effect of the decrease in the number of teams in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro with the restructuring of the APS and also a reflection of the changes that occurred in the PNAB in 2017 and in 2019 with the Previne Program Brazil. It was observed that despite the effort of state management to maintain the NASF teams, PREFAPS had little influence on their maintenance, requiring technical support actions and greater financial support to ensure that the NASF can fulfill its broader role in PHC. At the end of the study, we suggest the continuation of new analyzes on the subject and point out some recommendations within the scope of state management, for the strengthening and maintenance of the APS teams, especially for the NASF teams.