This article deals with the ways of doing the regionalization of the health. Objective: to analyze the dimensions of the institution conformation and governance in the regional health management. It is a qualitative study based on retrospective documentary research (from 1995 to 2009). The state health policy was an inductor of the regionalization process. The institutional conformation built in consolidated regional bodies: the Bipartite Intermanagerial Board Regional, transformed into Regional Management Collegiate, the decentralized instance of Department of Health; the regulation center; the inter-municipal consortium of health and the regional hospital. Hostage diverse interests, the regional governance appears to be incipient and the regional health planning is restricted to the application of normative instruments set up by the SUS.
Unified Health System; Regional health planning; Health management