Saúde no Brasil : algumas questões sobre o sistema único de saúde (SUS)

This work is a compilation of studies produced at the Social Studies Department - Disoc/Ipea to support the elaboration of the document "Brazil: the state of the Union - 2007". Health outcomes in the last decades, health policies after 1988 and the role of the government in health care are analyzed. Regarding this last topic, problems related to financing, sector regulation and services production by the Unified Health System are discussed. The study shows that, despite mprovements in several areas, there remain various issues, many of them related to management, to be addressed if the system is to be more effective and efficient in the provision of health care.