Concepts of municipal health managers of Pernambuco about the allocation and management of health spending

Abstract

This article discusses the issue of health financing and the way district secretaries deal with municipal regulations on spending in the sector. We heard managers regarding their idea of spending in health, their knowledge of legal instruments that direct financing and their participation in resources' allocation. The health secretaries of 10 (ten) municipalities in the State of Pernambuco were approached through semi-structured interviews. The criteria for inclusion in the study referred to regularity of data feeding into SIOPS (Information System in Public Health Budgets) and the fulfillment of Constitutional Amendment nº. 29: five municipalities were chosen among those with the best records within the State, and 05 (five) among those with the worst records. Content analysis was used for treating interviews' data. Results showed that these administrators admit payments using health resources only for expenses in actions and services specific of the health field. Some secretaries know and are capable of specifying legal parameters for health expenses. They take part in the district's budget decision making process and also manage resources from the Municipal Fund for Health. Despite the differences while responding, it was noticed that the secretaries were willing to discuss financing and took an active role in resources allocation with other Municipal Public Administration bodies, in order to attend to population's health needs.