Modelo multicritério de alocação de unidades básicas de saúde: uma proposição para cidade de médio porte

Abstract

The Basic Health Units (UBSs) are responsible for the treatment of diseases in their initial phase. It is possible to observe that there is an investment by the Brazilian government into this kind of strategy in health policies. These kinds of actions aim to reduce the number of patients being sent to hospitals, because the low and medium priority problems can be treated at a UBS. The UBSs are related to the Family Health Program (PSF) with the objective of serving the poorest population. The government must allocate these units efficiently, to improve the services and serve more people. However, this kind of decision is made by the empirical knowledge of municipal managers. This paper proposes a model to rationalize this decision process using the multiple criteria decision aid approach to allocate these units in a city in the west region of Rio Grande do Norte State, in Brazil. We can conclude that the model developed prioritizes the neighborhoods with the greatest need for healthcare, using the value system of the city’s health department.