Municipal managers and the principle of participation in SUS: from democratization to operational translation of the law

da democratização a tradução operacional da lei

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify the expressions and understandings of institutionalized participation in SUS from the segment of municipal managers. The exploratory and documentary research sought in the publications of the National Council of Municipal Health Secretaries (CONASEMS) the central material of the study. The segment of users and workers within the spaces of participation in SUS has been widely studied, in turn, managers and providers have not been the subject of specific studies, hence the relevance of this research. The theme of participation with a view to democratizing State and society relations has always been present in the trajectory of CONASEMS, especially in its origin and institutionalization. The publications of the last decade have been privileging the technical and operational translation of the law in relation to participation, metamorphosing the political sense of the term and distancing itself from the bases of the Sanitary Reform Movement, making it an administrative problem. There were concerns about bringing popular segments to participatory spaces, without necessarily addressing social inequality and access to health services. The research highlighted the concern of CONASEMS, with its productions, to subsidize, align positions and mark the political position of municipal managers in the organization of the conferences.