Project Building the SUS with the Public Defense Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro: A Case Study

Abstract

The judicialization of the health system is a phenomenon that has been gaining prominence at the nat ional level and impacting the Executive Power in many ways. Taking into  consideration the importance of the institutional dialogue to mitigate the effects of this phenomenon, the main aim of this paper was to describe the operationalization of the institutional arrangement proposed by the project “Building the SUS with the Public Defense Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro”, discussing it in municipalities of metropolitan areas of the state. This is part of an integrated single case study of the explanatory type. The data presented in this paper was collected from interviews and documentary research. The data analysis technique chosen was explanation building. The perception created by the experience showed that uniting a legal institution with the municipal public power, in the same work environment, and the (co-)responsibility for the health demands of the population, created in some cases and strengthened in others an atmosphere Much more conducive to institutional dialogue, in the search for ways to resolve health demands. In such paths the judicial route is not a possibility denied, and the administrative route is not an option neglected, both being considered in meeting the users’ demands.