ABSTRACT
The channels of intergovernmental agreement are instances of the decentralization and regionalization strengthening in the Unified Health System. Decentralization is an important device for the production of regional power. The article aims to reflect on the importance of the Regional Intergovernmental Commission in health governance in the First Health Region of Ceará, considering the process of decentralization and regionalization. It is a qualitative social research, a case study, whose techniques of data production were semi-structured interviews and simple observation. Project approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the State University of Ceará. Some results showed that the Regional Intergovernmental Commission is an important instance for regional health governance, where local managers express the needs of the municipality, agree and deliberate on the region’s health policy, showing that they are not passive regarding the decisions agreed upon for the organization of this area. Prior to that, they are subjects that move in an arena of dispute for the better development of the health actions of their citizens, influencing the governance of this area in the State of Ceará. It was found that the Regional Intergovernmental Commission is also a place of dispute for power and interests, of conflicts.
KEYWORDS
Health policy; Governance; Politics; Regional health planning