The transformations brought by the Brazilian State reforms detach old problems and present new ones to health human resources. This paper examines the development of human resources in public policy concerning the State reforms in the 90's. It points out the need of enlargement and improvement of the knowledge about the work developed in health which envolves general administration, professional sociology, technologic knowledge, economical analyses, learning processes, among others. It identifies three critical dimensions to the approach of health human resources that need to be analyzed and followed by special mechanisms of specific and not excluding intervention: the management, the structural and the regulatory dimensions. It emphasizes the need to reintroduce the health professionals as active members of the implementation policies in political, management, technical and social aspects.
State reform; Health reform; Health human resources; Health policy; Health management; Economic health policy