Política Nacional de Cuidados Paliativos : a operacionalização para pacientes oncológicos em Aracaju

Abstract

Considering the inequalities and challenges in the operationalization of the National Palliative Care Policy within the Unified Health System (SUS), especially for oncological patients in the local context, the present study focuses on the operationalization of this policy in Aracaju, aiming to describe its process in SUS with a focus on oncological patients. Thus, it was necessary to present the integration of palliative care in the SUS structure, identify the relationship between such care and the quality of life of oncological patients, and highlight the challenges and advances in the provision of this service within the municipal public health system. A qualitative study was then conducted based on historical-dialectical materialism, a method that enables understanding of public health as a reflection of social relations and structural contradictions within capitalist society, analyzing reality in a totalizing way and considering the political, social, and economic conditions that influence oncological patients’ access to healthcare services within SUS, with a focus on the National Palliative Care Policy. Moreover, the study found that the provision of palliative care at SUS faces structural limitations and fragmentation, and that the Hospital de Urgência de Sergipe is the main reference for oncological palliative care in Aracaju. Additionally, it was observed that there is a need for integration between levels of care and strengthening of multiprofessional teams. Therefore, the operationalization of this policy demands investments, integrated planning, and ethical-political commitment to enable universal access to health and quality care until the end of life.