Access to Health Services and Assistance Offered to the Afro-Descendant Communities in Northern Brazil: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The remnants of quilombos, individuals of African descent, have faced several barriers throughout its history, either due to prejudice imposed by society, or the non-fulfillment of their rights guaranteed in the 1988 Constitution, such as access to health services. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the health care offered to quilombo communities in the northern region of Tocantins. This is an exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach, including field research and focus group, carried out with 58 quilombo remnants people from communities in the northern region of Tocantins. Data collection was carried out between from October 2017 to July 2018, through semi-structured interviews. We found that these communities have limited access to health services, in addition to a negative perception of the assistance offered to the health of their population and the commitment of managers. Therefore, access to health and assistance received by the studied communities required to be prioritized since the care provided is not unique and has not met the health demands and needs of the remaining quilombos in northern Tocantins, Brazil.