ACCESS TO AND LEVEL OF TRUST IN HEALTH SERVICES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC OF THE POPULATION OF SETTLERS IN TWO MUNICIPALITIES OF MATO GROSSO, BRAZIL

Abstract

The global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in several ways, especially health systems, especially in less developed countries. In Brazil, in addition to the insecurity caused by the disease, the news about corruption and misconduct involving the health system reinforced the feeling of insecurity and distrust in health services in the population. In this sense, studies have shown differences in the perception of health services and in the way the pandemic affected populations based on the sociodemographic profile and the environment in which individuals are inserted. The objective of this study was to evaluate the access and level of trust in health services of the population of settlers in the municipalities of Juara and Sinop in Mato Grosso, Brazil. A total of 101 residents of settlements were interviewed applying the COVID-19 Social Thermometer questionnaire. The data were tabulated in Microsoft Office Excel 2010 spreadsheets and imported for analysis using SPSS version 22 software, descriptive and chi-square analyses were performed to compare confidence in health services between municipalities. It was possible to observe that the majority of the population of settlers in these cities uses the Unified Health System, does not have a health center in their neighborhoods or communities and does not have a health plan or agreement. In addition, most of them showed more trust in Primary Health Care services to the detriment of other services. Also, when comparing the level of trust in the health system between the municipalities of Sinop and Juara, the residents of the settlement in Juara trust the health services, while those of Sinop distrust.