Santa Cecília University and medical education in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Region – rationale for a new medical course: challenges and opportunities to train doctors to meet regional and national demands Hermes Toros Xavier

Abstract

Demographic data on healthcare in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Region (RMBS), provided by the Unified Health System (SUS), point to the need to train healthcare professionals and doctors with the skills and competencies needed to implement solutions and improve care provided to the community – the focus of the actions and commitment of Universidade Santa Cecília (Unisanta). This article aims to describe and discuss with the academic community, the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) and state and municipal health managers the challenges and opportunities that Unisanta foresees with the proposal of its Undergraduate Course in Medicine. We describe population, epidemiological and healthcare network data at all levels of healthcare in the RMBS, establishing a current diagnosis of the use of healthcare equipment that make up the SUS in the Region. We evaluate the number of SUS beds available and how many are currently used for teaching and research in medicine. We analyzed demographic data, health indices, and the number of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants to better understand the viability of Unisanta's proposal to establish its Medical Course. We demonstrated the rationale behind the Pedagogical Project of the Course that we proposed to the MEC, highlighting the support of the public authorities - state and municipal, establishing the necessary partnerships, in order to recognize the legitimacy and importance of the insertion of the Unisanta Medical Course for the Region. The RMBS, formed by nine municipalities - Bertioga, Cubatão, Guarujá, Itanhaém, Mongaguá, Peruíbe, Praia Grande, São Vicente, and Santos, with an estimated population of 1,897,551 inhabitants (IBGE 2022), predominantly urban, has 5,131 doctors (CNES/DataSUS), with an average rate of 2.81 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants. Among the demographic data, approximately 900,000 people are over 40 years old and 350,000 are over 60 years old, with Santos being the municipality with the oldest population in the region, at 24.8%. The RMBS healthcare network comprises a total of 1,751 SUS beds and 361 complementary SUS beds, totaling 2,112 SUS beds. Currently, only 517 SUS beds are used for teaching and research, corresponding to a commitment of SUS beds for academic use of 29% of the existing total (CNES/DataSUS June/2023). Unisanta, understanding that access to medical care is essential for communities, with the aim of qualifying health services and training doctors focused on comprehensive care for individuals and families, working primarily in the scope of Primary Health Care, Urgencies and Emergencies, proposes to offer a Medicine Course focused on social needs and faithful to the principles established by current legislation.