Is the access of the street population a denied right?

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the access of the street population to health services. Methods: this was a qualitative study in which 29 interviews were conducted with health workers,
distributed among professionals in family health teams, urgency and emergency care units, and a general emergency hospital. Results: the access of the street population occurs preferentially through emergency services, through the requirement of identity and
Unified Health System cards, and the continuity of health service is not guarantee; there is a transfer of responsibility for care among the health care network institutions; standardization of forms and assistance; difficulties of access materialized in: bureaucratic issues, reduced number of professionals, insufficient structure and inputs, absence of residence address, and social devaluation of this population. Conclusion: the understanding of access that permeates health services is restricted to the first care, thus becoming a denial of constitutional right to the street people. Although this population is present in neoliberal society, it is invisible to the health service, being recognized through stereotypes historically constructed by capitalist society that has a defined standard of the way to
lead a life. Therefore, the access of the street population to health service is a challenge for managers, workers, social movements, and educational institutions, because it questions the Unified Health System as a conquest of society and a public policy of social inclusion.