OBJECTIVE: to analyze the conception and operationalization of the principle of equity in the Municipal Health Secretary's recognition of the needs of social groups in Recife between 2001 and 2008. METHODS: a case study involving semi-structured interviews and analysis of documents was carried out. The subjects were health service managers. Four social groups were selected: working people, people with psychiatric disorders, women, and people living in poverty. Thematic content analysis was used to investigate the following categories: social participation, technical and policy rationality, and integration. RESULTS: the Health Secretary's health policy includes various underprivileged groups, allocating resources thatare not restricted to basic care, although there is a lack of communication between the various levels of care. Limitations that especially need to be overcome include: the Family Health Program referring an excessive number of patients to specialized care, suggesting problems with the identification/incorporation of users' needs; occupational health policy having failed to consolidate health surveillance; failure to make progress in developing care in the community programs for people with psychiatric disorders; difficulty in meeting the diversity of needs of women, beyond pregnancy and childbirth; patchy training of health professionals in the areas of gender, race, ethnicity and class. CONCLUSION: Recife's health authorities have adopted a concept of vertical equity by including diverse social groups with diverse needs, although it has diffi culty in attending these needs in an integrated fashion.
Equity; Health policy; Population groups
