Inequalities in the provision of hospital care in the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil: an integrative review

ABSTRACT

The Covid-19 pandemic raises concern about global health systems’ response capacity and resilience. In Brazil, several studies analyzed this issue of providing health services and resources to meet the Sars-CoV-2 cases. This study aims to understand and analyze the inequalities in providing hospital care of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) to care for severe Covid-19 cases. An integrative literature review was carried out from March to December 2020, mainly in Public Health, focusing on the regional distribution and the public-private relationship of hospital care. We employed databases BVS and SciELO and institutional sources. Forty-two studies were analyzed from geographic space, seen by socio-spatial inequalities, and from the social protection system in health, through public-private relationships. The studies indicate significant inequalities in public-private arrangements and the regional distribution of the supply of resources analyzed in the most diverse spatial scales. Inequalities are significant even in regions historically privileged by hospital resources. Supply segmentation and interdependence between the public and private sectors impose severe limitations to combat Covid-19 in Brazil and exacerbate health inequalities.

KEYWORDS
Health status disparities; Health systems; Health care; Covid-19; Emergencies