ABSTRACT
Based on an inquiry that yielded national socioeconomic information, health inequalities among different quintiles of per capita income were explored in southeast and west helath services of the metropolitan region. Inequalities were assessed establishing the type of health plan (state or private), ocurrence of disease, access to medical attention and medications and use of health services. Fifty-eight percent of individuals living in the southeast health service and 74 percent of those living in the west health service had a state funded health plans. This proportion was higher among subjects with lower earnings. One third of the population studied had a disease in the last three months. Ninety percent of these had medical attention. Most subjects that did not receive professional care, medicated them and felt that they did not require it. Subjects with lower earnings had greater difficults to obtain medical attention or medications. Primary care comprises 62 percent of health actions and state funded sector is used by 88 percent of subjects of the first quintile of per capita income