A judicialização da saúde na perspectiva da gestão local : um estudo da experiência de Saquarema - RJ

Abstract

The 1988 Brazilian Constitution guarantees the right to health to all Brazilians. To ensure this constitutional right, Laws 8080/90 and 8142/90 established the National Health System (the so-called SUS), an organization of public law that regulates all health care provision to the population. The SUS, constituted from philosophical guidelines, guarantees universal and free assistance in all areas of the health sector. Incorporated into the SUS through the National Drug Policy and then by the National Pharmaceutical Assistance, access to medicines is a strategic sector of public health policy. The judicialization of the access to health and pharmaceutical care that became a necessary resource to ensure the right to health in Brazil, is now an important component of municipal health. It is a process that begins with the purchase of medicines to treat HIV / AIDS in the 1990s. This study conducted an exploratory survey in the municipality of Saquarema, which enabled a qualitative and quantitative analysis of court orders, coming from the Public Defender's Office of the District of Saquarema, to purchase drugs, between January 1st, 2011 and December 31, 2012, totaling 106 claims, from individual prescriptions made by SUS professionals. This survey found that insufficient resources and urgency of the lawsuits are the main supports of judgments. It also noted that most applicants are female, aged over 61 years with chronic diseases and use continuous medication. These drugs were prescribed by four physicians from four specialties (ophthalmology, cardiology, endocrinology and pediatrics) and represent 60% of lawsuits. The conflict researched shows that the right to health is being exercised by the Judiciary, with a relatively efficient Public Defender serving a population with few economic resources, which uses drugs to treat chronic and degenerative diseases. The individual prescriptions are the document required to order the use of continuous medication. The research, after analyzing the main results, suggests some alternatives, called defensive actions, which can be adopted by the management of municipal Health departments in Saquarema and other municipalities. Finally, the research analyzes the main findings and suggests some alternatives, called defensive actions, that municipal health managers in Saquarema and other municipalities can adopt.