The effect of municipalization in the Brazilian hospital system: the small-sized hospitals

Abstract

Hospital care accounts for part of increased health care costs. Countries have adapted their public policies to the hospital sector, focusing on larger centers, after studies of the 1990s have shown that hospitals with less than 200 beds have reduced efficiency. A total of 6,787 hospitals in Brazil were recorded in 2017, 62.3% of which had less than 50 beds. This study evaluated the National Policy for Small-sized Hospitals (PNHPP) published in 2004, and its impact on the Brazilian hospital sector. Twelve of the 27 states adhered to the PNHPP. In the absence of policies to induce the establishment of a networked hospital system, favoring comprehensive actions, the municipalization pulverized hospital care. Municipal managers believed that this was the best path to meet health needs. The number of municipal hospital units increased and their size was reduced, reaching a mean capacity of 50 beds per hospital. The reversal of this scenario involves policies that induce the qualification of hospital care until the understanding that the almost 5,000 small-sized hospital units in the country are a broad set to be studied, subdividing it into smaller groups, with different specialties.

Key words
Hospitals; Hospital legislation; Hospital size; National health policies