Public social protection policies for people affected by tuberculosis: a documentary analysis

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the normative documents that seek to guarantee the right to social protection for people affected by tuberculosis in force in Brazil in 2023. Method: qualitative documentary research carried out in September 2023, based on the survey of documents at the national, state and municipal levels, from government agencies and social control bodies after the promulgation of the Federal Constitution, on four electronic platforms, exported and organized in the Atlas.ti software, and interpreted based on content analysis, thematic mode. Results: the analytical corpus consisted of 30 normative documents — nine laws, seven technical-institutional materials, five ordinances, four resolutions, two decrees, a technical cooperation agreement, a normative instruction, and an operational instruction — from which four thematic categories emerged: the right to health care, the right to social care, the right to social security, and the sharing of responsibilities. Conclusion: policies to protect people with tuberculosis in Brazil are recent and there is still much room for improvement toward a comprehensive approach through intersectoral and interministerial coordination, aiming to address social vulnerability and reaffirming the State’s duty to guarantee social protection by means of public policies that promote life, citizenship, human rights, and social justice.