The universality and decentralization of the brazilian health sistem have involved the need of a greater health service suplly. Facing reduced financial resources, the local authorities have discussed and implemented alternative planning and pub1ic service execution in the health sector. Among these alternatives there are the city consortiums. Whose main objective is to make it possible for the cities to accomplish efficiently and effectivity the necessary health care assistance ti its population. Despite being started in the 80s, in Rio de Janeiro this consortiums has only begun at the end of the 90s nowadays counting with five associations.
Decentralization; planning; organization; regionalization; association; co-operation