Evaluation of the National Humanization Policy in Maceió: A look at Primary Health Care

Abstract

The implementation of the National Humanization Policy (NHP) in Primary Health Care (PHC) requires the reorganization of work processes and care practices centered on people’s needs. In this context, a case study was developed, of an evaluative, descriptive, and exploratory nature, with a qualitative approach, which analyzed the implementation of the NHP in PHC in Maceió. Data collection included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with PHC workers and managers linked to the NHP in the municipality. The data were organized into three analytical categories: SUS Management, Comprehensive User Care, and Valuing Work and Workers, based on the evaluative matrix of the NHP in PHC. The results indicate that the guideline of the environment has been implemented unevenly, with the persistence of structural inadequacies. In user care, guidelines such as reception and expanded clinic are applied specifically, but the resoluteness is limited by failures in the articulation of the network. Regarding the valorization of work, there are precarious links, a lack of qualified listening, and low effectiveness of participatory management. The findings reveal a gap between the principles of the NHP (National Humanization Policy) and the current management model, which is guided by a neoliberal logic, reinforcing the need for a critical review of institutional practices.