The hospital morbidity pattern of the in-patient demand in the county of Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil (1972-76) was studied. This pattern is a social and historical phenomenon, a product of living conditions and of hospital and medical care policy. An increase in the number of hospitalizations was verified although the morbidity pattern remained the same. The main groups of diseases given as causes of the hospitalizations are discussed, as are the reasons for the selective increase in hospitalizations for specific conditions, hospitalizations probably induced by medical assistance policy.
Hospital morbidity; Hospital-medical assistance; Medical assistance