The paper discusses the relevance and viability on spreading pedagogic capacity throughout the SUS. It is a way of accomplishing one of the most important goals of the Brazilian health policy: transforming the public health services a locus of teaching-learning through working. The concept of Permanent Education in Health helps the appraisal of this task. It is not a case for prolonging the time people work in health services, but for intensification of the relationship between education and health care in the area of knowledge and practices in health. In 2003 and 2004, the Department of Gestão da Educação na Saúde, of the Brazilian Health Ministry, has made a unique and innovative collaboration for the achievement of this policy goal. The Department main strategy was the creation of a new device: the Pólos de Educação Permanente em Saúde. In a short period of only 16 months the Pólos gathered 1.122 different regional organizations, finally putting in practice the article 14 of the Organic Health Law. The creation of these new devices was not a formal act; it implied regarding education of professionals and health workers as a priority. As this paper shows for the first time education was not treated as a means but as a final policy goal.
Permanent education in health; Health diligent; Education; Health
