Maria Beatriz Rodrigues Criscuolo, Duane Ferreira Melo, and Selma Maria da Fonseca Viegas
Objective: Understand the implications of reference and counter-references related to the resolution and continuity of primary health care (PHC).
Methods: This is the Study of Cases of Multiple Holistic qualitative, based on the Comprehensive Sociology of Everyday Life, with the participation of 41 professionals and managers of PHC in the municipality of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Results: Although the system of reference and counter-reference has the purpose of facilitating the process of (re) forward, which is not the reality of the researched scenarios. Users suffer from a lack of population coverage by the Family Health Strategy, with the lack of consultation quotas for medical specialists and other professionals; of procedures; of tests and medicines; lack of professional commitment and training of professionals in order to work in the Unified Health System (SUS). Scarce resources and poor organization in the system of reference and counter-reference concretize many problems in health care networks in solving the problems in the PHC and accessibility.
Conclusion: Although the SUS dating from the last century and being legislatively speaking quite resolute, still suffers from a lack of resources and inability responding to every demand by municipal services. The implementation of SUS goes beyond the mere extension of quotas, material resources and for diagnostics, infrastructure and human resources. It depends on the paradigm shift: the user as the center of attention in Health.
