The Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988 has assured health as a universal citizen right and created a national health care system - SUS. Nowadays, the Brazilian society has an advanced legal construction assuring social protection trough universal social policies, but a very precarious health care services network. The aim of this paper is to analyze data from a research in public hospitals in Rio de Janeiro, using different qualitative techniques in order to identify the perceived factors that determine the existence of avoidable inequalities in the access and health services utilization. The results sign the poor material conditions of health services, associated with discriminatory practices as well as the use of personal relationships as a criterion to access the health system as the material forms of the counter right to health care.
right to health care; health inequality; social discrimination