MEDICAL RESIDENCY POLICY AND LACK OF SPECIALISTS IN GYNECOLOGY AND OBSTETRICS IN THE PERNAMBUCO UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM

Abstract

The efficient distribution of health professionals, especially physicians, is one of the main issues public health policy managers face. In an attempt to solve this problem, the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, is increasing the number of medical graduates, including in the interior, and encouraging medical residency programs with more openings and programs. Such actions are strategies for the establishment and provision of medical professionals. The general objective of the study that gave rise to this article was to introduce the medical residency policy as a strategy for training human resources for the Unified Health System and to demonstrate the lack of specialists in gynecology and obstetrics for the Unified Health System of Pernambuco, based on the lack of childbirth care. The results demonstrated an increased demand among physicians for the gynecology and obstetrics specialty over the years, but there is a great concentration of this specialty in the region near the capital city (Recife) and of deliveries in certain locations of the state.

public policies; medical residency; human resources in health; obstetrics andgynecology