Judicialization of health in the municipalities of the metropolitan region of Belém-PA

Abstract

Objective: to present a panorama of the requests for judicial proceedings concerning medicines from the observations in the municipalities of the metropolitan region of Belém-PA; verify the arguments used by the plaintiffs, judges and defendants in observance of the compatibility of court proceedings with public drug policy; and classify the medications requested in these actions. Methodology: research conducted from the project The judicialization of public health policy in Brazilian municipalities, conducted in the second half of 2017, in the municipalities of Belém, Marituba and Benevides. Descriptive study of quantitative approach with health-related demands, through the analysis of 264 lawsuits, in which the data found were organized in a spreadsheet made in Excel 2010 software. Results: 40 out of the total number of cases analyzed refer to totaling 72 different drugs, these were divided into those present in the Essential Drug Relationships (46), absent from the SUS lists (25) and those not registered for use (1). The Public Prosecution Service and the Public Defender's Office are the most sought after actors in conflict mediation and their resolutions. The plaintiffs use the health-related legal framework to justify their arguments. Conclusion: the request for drugs not on the SUS lists shows the lack of knowledge of prescribing professionals, since among the prescribed drugs, there is an equal choice in the relationships of essential drugs and that will not cause risk to the patient.