Abstract
This study analyzes the dissolution of the institutional cooperation, lasting approximately a decade, between the Ministry of Health and a set of academic institutions for the implementation of the National Program for Improving Access and Quality of Primary Care (PMAQ-AB) in the scope of the Brazilian Nacional Health System (SUS). This exploratory, qualitative research consists of a case study that uses assumptions of Historical Neoinstitutionalism to guide the analysis. Data were collected by documentary and bibliographic research and semi-structured interviews with key actors. From the content analysis, three analytical categories were evidenced: end of the PMAQ-AB - historical process, political-institutional context and actors; end of the institutional cooperation - government-academy interaction process; and actors’ perceptions about the end of institutional cooperation. The end of institutional cooperation happened in a context of change of government at the federal level, within a new political-institutional order of SUS and was influenced by historical factors and the practices of public managers and in the conduct of political processes. An inter-institutional government-academy exchange with a view to strengthening health management and supporting the institutional development of the SUS is a future expectation, considering the adversities imposed on the field of health and public education in Brazil today.
Keywords:
Public Health; Primary Health Care; Academic institutions; Intersectoral Collaboration