Access to medicines, the Unified Health System, and intersectional injustices.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of general and public access to prescription drugs in the Brazilian population aged 15 or older in 2019, and to identify inequities in access, according to intersections of gender, color/race, socioeconomic level, and territory. METHODS: We analyzed data from the 2019 National Health Survey with respondents aged 15 years or older who had been prescribed a medication in a healthcare service in the two weeks prior to the interview (n = 19,819). The outcome variable was access to medicines, subdivided into general access (public, private and mixed), public access (via the Unified Health System - SUS) for those treated by the SUS, and public access (via the SUS) for those not treated by the SUS. The study's independent variables were used to represent axes of marginalization: gender, color/race, socioeconomic level, and territory. The prevalence of general and public access in the different groups analyzed was calculated and the association of the outcomes with the aforementioned axes was estimated with odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression models. RESULTS: There was a high prevalence of general access (84.9%), when all sources of access were considered, favoring more privileged segments of the population, such as men, white, and those of high socioeconomic status. When only the medicines prescribed in the SUS were considered, there was a low prevalence (30.4% access) that otherwise benefited marginalized population segments, such as women, black, and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: Access to medicines through the SUS proves to be an instrument for combating intersectional inequities, lending credence to the idea that the SUS is an efficient public policy for promoting social justice.

Access to medicines, the Unified Health System, and intersectional injustices / Acesso a medicamentos, o Sistema Único de Saúde e as injustiças interseccionais

ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE To estimate the prevalence of general and public access to prescription drugs in the Brazilian population aged 15 or older in 2019, and to identify inequities in access, according to intersections of gender, color/race, socioeconomic level, and territory. METHODS We analyzed data from the 2019 National Health Survey with respondents aged 15 years or older who had been prescribed a medication in a healthcare service in the two weeks prior to the interview (n = 19,819). The outcome variable was access to medicines, subdivided into general access (public, private and mixed), public access (via the Unified Health System - SUS) for those treated by the SUS, and public access (via the SUS) for those not treated by the SUS. The study's independent variables were used to represent axes of marginalization: gender, color/race, socioeconomic level, and territory. The prevalence of general and public access in the different groups analyzed was calculated and the association of the outcomes with the aforementioned axes was estimated with odds ratios (OR) using logistic regression models. RESULTS There was a high prevalence of general access (84.9%), when all sources of access were considered, favoring more privileged segments of the population, such as men, white, and those of high socioeconomic status. When only the medicines prescribed in the SUS were considered, there was a low prevalence (30.4% access) that otherwise benefited marginalized population segments, such as women, black, and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS Access to medicines through the SUS proves to be an instrument for combating intersectional inequities, lending credence to the idea that the SUS is an efficient public policy for promoting social justice.

RESUMO OBJETIVO Estimar as prevalências de acesso geral e público a medicamentos prescritos na população brasileira com 15 anos ou mais de idade em 2019 e identificar iniquidades de acesso, conforme intersecções de gênero, cor/raça, nível socioeconômico e território. MÉTODOS Foram analisados dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde de 2019 com respondentes de 15 anos ou mais que tiveram prescrição de algum medicamento em atendimento de saúde realizado nas duas semanas anteriores à entrevista (n = 19.819). A variável de desfecho foi o acesso a medicamentos, subdividido em acesso geral (público, privado e misto), acesso público (via Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS) dos atendidos no SUS e acesso público (via SUS) dos não atendidos no SUS. As variáveis independentes do estudo foram utilizadas para representar eixos de marginalização: gênero, cor/raça, nível socioeconômico e território. Foram calculadas as prevalências de acesso geral e acesso público nos diferentes grupos analisados e a associação dos desfechos com os eixos mencionados foi estimada com odds ratios (OR) por meio de modelos de regressão logística. RESULTADOS Foi observada alta prevalência de acesso geral (84,9%), quando consideradas todas as fontes de obtenção, favorecendo segmentos populacionais de maior privilégio, como homens, brancos e de alto nível socioeconômico. Quando considerada apenas a obtenção no SUS dos medicamentos prescritos no próprio sistema, verificou-se uma baixa prevalência (30,4% de acesso), invertendo o acesso em benefício dos segmentos populacionais multiplamente marginalizados, como mulheres negras de baixo nível socioeconômico. CONCLUSÕES O acesso a medicamentos por meio do SUS demonstra ser um instrumento de combate às iniquidades interseccionais, evidenciando que o SUS é uma política pública eficiente na promoção da justiça social.