Analysis of investment policies in primary health care: historical neoinstitutionalism applied to the Brazilian health system

Abstract

The investment policies for Primary Health Care (PHC) are fundamental to the health system organization. In the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS), this aspect is even more relevant due to its structural role in the system. Despite their importance, studies on investment policies in PHC tend to be more descriptive, contributing little to the understanding of the historical and political process. This paper aims to fill this gap by analyzing the investment policies for PHC in SUS based on the historical neoinstitutionalism perspective. The primary and secondary data were collected through bibliographic review, document collection, and interviews with key actors. The data were analyzed using an inductive approach to associate characteristics of the health system and the Brazilian PHC model with the trajectory of federal funding policies aimed at investments in infrastructure, equipment, and technology in PHC. The results i) identify the strengths and weaknesses in PHC investment policies with a contextual and historical perspective of the contributing factors in this process, and ii) recommend actions, decision-making, and policies divided into the 3 categories - PHC investment history, need to finance PHC, and financing impact of the PHC results. Therefore, this study contributes to PHC and historical neoinstitutionalism studies and points out practical aspects to decision-makers to strengthen the investment policies for PHC in SUS.

Keywords: historical neoinstitutionalism; health policy; primary health care; health investment; health financing