[Family Health, more than never!].
The implementation of Primary Health Care as a strategy for organizing health care is undoubtedly important. There are already sufficient evidences that countries whose health systems are organized from the principles of Primary Care achieve better results on health with lower costs, higher level of user satisfaction and greater equity even in situations of great social inequity such as in Brazil. Strengthening Primary Care in Brazil has been a gradual process, showed with the expansion of the coverage of Family Health teams in all states of the federation, nowadays we have 29,148 of family health teams, 228,412 community health workers and 17,588 oral health teams working throughout the country. There are multiple studies on Family Health Strategy showing positive results that let no doubt about the success of this strategy. Despite all the advances, challenges were placed ahead, the most important are: the challenge of training and permanent education, the challenge of consolidating the PHC as system's coordinator and the challenge of communicating with society. We are on track, meet the challenges mentioned is an obligation of Brazilian society in the maintenance of greater social inclusion's policy, which is the Unified Health System driven by the primary care/Family Health Strategy.
Mendonça
Claunara Schilling
CS
Departamento de Atenção Básica, Secretaria de Atenção à Saúde, Ministério da Saúde, Brasília, DF, 70058-900. claunara@saúde.gov.br
D001938:Brazil; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D005192:Family Health; D011320:Primary Health Care