Learning Objective #1: discuss rural women access to reproductive health care | |||
Learning Objective #2: show a particular health experience of brazilian rural settled women |
The
major advance in Brazilian health care services occurred from the recognition
that health is a right of all citizens and the Government's responsibility. In
order to guarantee health as a universal social right a Unified National Health
System (UNHS) was created. Considering that, it is assumed that all health
problems should be resolved mainly considering population's health needs. Nevertheless, a particular women group of Brazilian Rural
Landless Workers Movement (MST) has a limited access to health services, closely
related to the geographical area where camps and settlements are located, to
movement' s structure that does not allow a fixed housing and to the
discrimination faced by the workers of MST in urban areas and their
impoverished condition. In the search for answers to comprehend the gap between
the UNHS theoretical guidelines and the real condition of access to the health care
services, this study aimed to investigate these women group access to
reproductive health care, taking pre-natal care and cervical cancer prevention
action as parameters. An exploratory qualitative research – using
semi-structured questionnaire – was carried out with five 18 to 45 year-old
women, who had already been through a pregnancy, living in Sister Alberta Camp,
integrating MST, located on the outskirts of Sao Paulo City, Brazil. These women
had access to the pre-natal care by using mechanisms like giving false
addresses. Pap smear tests were done just during pregnancy. Health care
delivered to these women was fragmentised and they were assisted solely because
of their reproductive condition. Access to health services must be understood
as continuous and complete assistance in all phases of woman's life. Thus, improving
information and education to these women, especially by nursing professionals,
could be a chance to guarantee the access to health based on equity.