Resumo

SERRUYA, Suzanne Jacob; CECATTI, José Guilherme  e  LAGO, Tania di Giacomo do. The Brazilian Ministry of Health's Program for Humanization of Prenatal and Childbirth Care: preliminary results. Cad. Saúde Pública [online]. 2004, vol.20, n.5, pp. 1281-1289. ISSN 0102-311X.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-311X2004000500022.

This article evaluates the implementation of the Brazilian Ministry of Health's Program for Humanization of Prenatal and Childbirth Care using data generated by the SISPRENATAL/DATASUS database from the Unified National Health System. From its beginning in June 2000 until December 2002, 3,983 municipalities joined the Program, and 71% of participating municipalities (3,183) reported their health care activities, constituting a database with 720,871 women. Nearly 20% of the women had six or more prenatal visits, and approximately half of them had the postpartum follow-up visit and required lab tests performed in 2002. In addition, 41% of the women had been vaccinated against tetanus. The number of HIV antibody tests was twice that of syphilis during the two-year period. Only a small percentage of women (2% in 2001 and 5% in 2002) received the entire set of prenatal and childbirth care services. The low percentages attest to the need for permanent evaluation aimed at improving quality of care and guaranteeing both high-quality maternal and perinatal results and the inalienable right of women to safe care and well-being during pregnancy and delivery.

Palavras-chave : Saúde Materno-infantil; Saúde da Mulher; Avaliação de Programas; Maternal and Child Health; Women's Health; Program Evaluation.