Access to primary health attention during the covid-19 pandemic in a town in Bahia

Abstract

The universalization of access to health in Brazil brought with it the need to reorganize and expand health services. In this context, Primary Health Care (PHC) has become a government priority in the reorientation of health policies at the local level, with the aim of facilitating access to health actions and services in the Sistema único de Saúde (SUS). Thus, this study aimed to analyze access to PHC actions and services during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2022), in a municipality in the interior of Bahia, which is part of Sisal's identity territory, forming part of the microregion from Serrinha. This is a qualitative study, of an exploratory nature, which used semi-structured interviews as a data collection instrument. The data analysis method was thematic content analysis. The participants were managers and health workers linked to the Municipal Health Department, comprising a total of four people. The results showed that the flow of access, before the pandemic, occurred almost exclusively through spontaneous demand and, during the pandemic, through scheduling, carried out with the support of the Community Health Agent (ACS). The actions and services that had restricted supply were: care for users with hypertension and diabetes and prenatal consultations. The strategies used by health workers to maintain/expand access to PHC services were the resizing of service hours; the use of telehealth and social networks and the ability of CHWs to coordinate with the community. These findings show the capacity of PHC as a reorganizer of health care with the aim of expanding universality and comprehensiveness in the SUS.