The need to strengthen Primary Health Care in Brazil in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza; Vanessa Tavares de Gois-Santos; Divanise Suruagy Correia; Paulo Ricardo Martins-Filho; Victor Santana Santos

doi:10.1590/1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0047

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Carlos Dornels Freire de Souza Universidade Federal do Alagoas – UFAL, Department of Medicine, Arapiraca, AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7995-1893
Vanessa Tavares de Gois-Santos Universidade Federal do Sergipe – UFS, Investigative Pathology Laboratory, Aracaju, SE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1325-139X
Divanise Suruagy Correia Universidade Federal do Alagoas – UFAL, Department of Medicine, Maceió, AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7293-4169
Paulo Ricardo Martins-Filho Universidade Federal do Sergipe – UFS, Investigative Pathology Laboratory, Aracaju, SE, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8779-0727
Victor Santana Santos Universidade Federal do Alagoas – UFAL, Centre for Epidemiology and Public Health, Arapiraca, AL, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0194-7397

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-3107bor-2020.vol34.0047

Palavras-chave:

Coronavirus, COVID-19, Public Health

Resumo

The emergence of severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its association with severe pneumonia and deaths has exposed gaps in the health systems of several countries worldwide. Although the necessary focus has been to care for hospitalized patients, the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) actions is necessary. PHC is the gateway to the health system in several countries, including Brazil and it plays a role in preventing, protecting, promoting, and treating individuals and communities. Brazil, like other countries, has faced the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. As Brazil has a universal and decentralized health system, in which PHC has been the model of health re-organizing the health system; here we reflected the importance of strengthening PHC in Brazil in the times of coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.