O cuidado à saúde das pessoas em situação de rua : invisibilidade das ações intersetoriais na cidade de São Carlos - SP

Abstract

The enhance of the Unified Health System (SUS) in this country is still a challenge for the Brazilian public health, in order to allow the health services access for the whole population, with a good care quality, which includes the difficulties that homeless people have to be cared at the health services in this national territory. Despite that aforementioned population is numerically greater in the metropolis, nowadays even at medium-sized cities, such as São Carlos, there are people in this condition, justifying this city’s choice as the research field. This work aimed to analyze the caring practices and the conceptions of the homeless population in the city of São Carlos, from the speech of health professionals that work with that. Thereunto, social research methodology has been utilized, having as a tool the semi-structured interview, the focal groups with sixteen health services professionals from SUS who work with the health care for the homeless, and a representative of the specialized service for the homeless population from the Unified System of Social Assistance. For analyzing the data, the Content Analysis techinique has been used. In the light of the vulnerability concept and articles about the SUS and the homeless population care, five major content categories were discussed, extracted from the interview/focal groups. These were: Conceptions about the homeless population; Conceptions about the homeless population’s health care; Care provided to homeless population’s health; Knowledge about the network and intersectoral approach; Training for professionals to take care of the homeless. It has been argued that there is a need to occur a permanent education process for the workers, about the multiple intrinsic aspects of the street population caring. And that the municipal, state and federal managements enable the adequate working conditions, so that this work may happen with quality.