The health care system was studied in the Taquari-Antas Region (State of Rio Grande do Sul - Brazil), it is composed of 50 cities with a population of nearly 1,300,000 inhabitants, about 20.0% of the population of the State. The health centers network of the Region is composed of 47 units and there is no homogeneity since the 13th Sanitary Region is the best of them and it has 22,300 inhabitants for each unit center while for other regions the range is of 53,500 to 73,500 inhabitants. The output in the medical attendance was very low, that is each physician gives an average of 0.4 medical attendance per hour while in the capital of the State (Porto Alegre) this rate was 1.5. The public network of the tuberculosis dispensary has 27 units works integrated with the health unit center except one case, forming the polivalent health unit. The proportion of inhabitants for each tuberculosis dispensary is 631,450 inhabitants while tor the capital and for the State this rate is respectively 238,060 and 255,220 inhabitants. The network for the leprous dispensary is composed of 37 units with a proportion of 123,900 inhabitants for each unit. The Taquari-Antas Region presents a proportion that is better than the State and the Capital since this proportion is respectively 186,243 and 315,530 inhabitants. The Mental Health services works integrated with the health unit centers through its 10 out-patient clinic with a psychiatrist physician in each of them. The region has one out-patient clinic for each 681,454 inhabitants, while for the State this proportion is 689,100 and in the Capital this proportion is 233,250 inhabitants. Related to health manpower resources there is a physician for each 2,655 inhabitants and the range of this proportion per Sanitary Region is from 1,778 to 4,528 inhabitants per physician. This rate is very low when compared with the pattern proposed by WHO that is one medical doctor per each 1,000 inhabitants. In the health unit center network there are only 10 nursing concentrated in 5 cities, that is, 45 cities do not have this kind of professionals. Therefore there is a higher proportion of physician than nursing, although the pattern of the medical doctor is also low.
Health medical care; Health center
