By Andrea Hargraves 
In the first half of this year, the Federal District's public health network served a total of 4,264,804 people in the various centers and basic health units distributed throughout the capital. These figures reflect the importance of primary care as a gateway to welcoming the population, with this service being essential in the continuous and preventive care of families.
Ana Clara Soares takes her daughter Ana Sofia to an appointment at UBS 3 in Guara: “Since we live in the area, it is very important to have this service” | Photo: Paulo Carvalho/Agence Brasilia
As the gateway that meets more than 80% of requests, primary care brings together a large network of services and responsibilities. The primary level covers health promotion and protection, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, harm reduction and maintenance of the well-being of the population. Units that provide this type of service carry out examinations, consultations, medical monitoring, medication delivery, dressing changes and vaccinations.
According to the DF Department of Health (SES), between January and June of this year, nursing care stood out, with 1,204,225 consultations carried out. This service plays a fundamental role in the initial examination, assessment and monitoring of patients, relieving the demand for specialist doctors.
Primary care physicians, in turn, conducted a total of 986,683 consultations, reinforcing their importance in early diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases and referral to specialists when necessary.
Primary care is the gateway to the public health network and meets more than 80% of requests; units provide this type of service to carry out examinations, consultations, medical monitoring, deliver medications, change dressings and administer vaccinations | Photo: Giovanna Albuquerque/Agence Brasilia
Health professionals in higher education, in addition to doctors, contributed 78,464 services. This group includes physiotherapists, psychologists, nutritionists and other specialists. Oral health also received great attention, with 197,911 consultations carried out by dental surgeons.
Among the people served by these professionals is housewife Ana Paula Melo, 50. She has been helped for years by UBS 3 in Guara, seeking everything from prenatal care to consultations aimed at treating symptoms of the virus. This week, she took her daughter and granddaughter, who are ill with respiratory diseases, to the unit.
“I have had many emergencies and consultations in the past few decades and have always been able to make an appointment, be welcomed and receive good treatment. Since we do not have the financial means, I consider this service essential for our health care.”
“Primary care is the important gateway for the user’s first contact with the Unified Health System,” says family doctor Daniel Sabino | Photo: Paulo Carvalho/Agence Brasilia
UBS 3 has also become a reference for Ana Paula Melo's daughter, student Ana Clara Soares, 19. She says she has always come to UBS, including to seek care for her daughter Ana Sofia, 3 years old. “My prenatal care was here. Since we live in the area, it is very important to have this service, because if we were to pay through the private network, we would not be able to afford it. It is something that is passed down from mother to daughter, from generation to generation.”
proximity
The user’s contact is often a family and community physician. He or she continues treatment within the network, and makes decisions about where the patient should go to get the best care. Daniel Sabino, a 12-year veteran of the field, highlights the dynamics of the family physician.
“Primary care is the important gateway, it is the first contact of the user with the unified health system, and at the same time, you have a specialist who accompanies people longitudinally, and this adds quality to the process, because you know a lot about the person and their family. So, you do not just explore the complaints related to the problems, but you try to take a more comprehensive approach, placing the problems in the context of the family situation. It ends up becoming a quality in the process, explains the specialist.
According to Sabino, UBS's main demands are care targeting febrile syndromes, colds, pneumonia, dengue, headache, tuberculosis, diabetes, chronic pain and pregnancy.
Due to one of these demands, housewife Natania Mota, 31, took her two children, Vitor, 7, and Cynthia, 12, to UBS 3 in Juara. The children, who showed flu-like symptoms, fever and body aches, were treated by the nursing service and received all the necessary instructions for the condition.
“It is very positive that this service is on the public network. If all the consultations were on the private network, I would not be able to deal with it. The service is always very good, and I am well taken care of here. It is necessary to have this access,” Netanya says.
When should I look for UBS?
It is common for people to confuse seeking care at UBSs with emergency care units (UPAs) and hospitals. UBSs are the recommended route for mild flu symptoms, dizziness, abdominal pain, malaise, diarrhea, vomiting, conjunctivitis, as well as treatment and monitoring of sexually transmitted diseases. UBSs also welcome and monitor cases of pregnancy, hypertension, diabetes and obesity.
Primary Care in the Federal District has a network of 176 UBS. Each unit serves a specific area, and family health teams are responsible for helping communities in the designated areas. To find out which UBS is the reference in your area and its opening hours, simply check Health Research at UBS.
