Health in the Middle Solimões region, state of Amazonas: the centrality of Tefé

ABSTRACT

In an Amazonian floodplain scenario with river flows, the study analyzes the articulation of Primary Care with Specialized Care, seeking to discuss the political and geographical conditions that impact on the formation of the care network in a health region in the Western Amazon. A combination of methodological strategies was adopted: survey of morbidity indicators and the health network, mapping of intercity routes, survey of expenses in Public Health Actions and Services and interviews with managers. Tefé concentrates banking services, judiciary branch, education and security bodies that give it a centrality of functions. However, health does not consider existing flows in the territory to define which municipalities have Tefé as a health reference. Outdated data in the health information systems, combined with the absence of the state government in the regional health planning, support to provide specialized professionals, payment for supplies and the organization of referral-counter-referral flow in the network have been challenges for integrality of the attention in the region, overloading the hub municipality. Despite the progressive increase in health expenses in the analyzed municipalities, the provision of services beyond Primary Care remains a challenge for the Unified Health System (SUS) in the Amazon.

KEYWORDS
Rural health; Health policy; Amazonian ecosystem