Entry doors or shut doors?: Access to rehabilitation within basic health units of the southeastern region of the city of So Paulo - from 2000 to 2006

Abstract

Since the Constitution of 1988, equal and universal access to health care is a given right of every Brazilian citizen. However, this law faces numerous barriers to its effectiveness as not all users of the Unified Health System have access to health services; such is the case of people with disabilities and/or impairments.This article presents the results of the research conducted at the Zerbini Foundation - Family Health Program, which aimed to identify the experiences that users with disabilities and their families had when using the rehabilitation services of this program and their thoughts on access to such services. Through semi-structured interviews and use of qualitative methodology, it was possible to take into account different discourses, social positions, and cultural backgrounds. During the research, it became evident, via the interviewees' discourses, that the rehabilitation team had a commitment with the peoples' quality of life. It carried out longitudinal monitoring of families and facilitated access through an active search and home care. However, several barriers to access, especially architectural one, were mentioned by the interviewees. This research helped to detect that, in spite of the strategies used by the rehabilitation team, the issue of access needs to be further discussed and systematically thought through by users, health professionals, services, public policy and governmental agencies; so as to be built up effectively and universally.