Getting to know before incorporating: a picture of milk allergy programmes implemented in Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this article is to present the characteristics of the care provided to children with milk allergy in public programmes and the challenges faced in their implementation, in the context of pre-incorporation in the Unified Health System (SUS) of three infant formulas for milk allergy. It is an exploratory, cross-sectional study with a quantitative-qualitative approach. It assessed 21 programmes and/or services (in 15 municipalities and 6 states) in all Brazilian regions. The main inducer of the creation of the programmes were judicial actions (80.9%) and the special formulas were provided to children aged until two years. Among the main hindrances for the creation and implementation of the programmes, the most prevalent were the lack of human and financial resources, representing 71.4% and 61.9% respectively. The most adopted strategy for costs reduction was to adapt the programmes’ norms and protocols (61.9%). There were no significant differences between municipal and state programmes. Studying the experiences of different realities in the national territory is essential for the discussion involving more equitable public policies directed to this population.