Desigualdades socioespaciais e acessibilidade aos serviços de saúde em São Luís: uma análise no contexto da pandemia de COVID-19

Abstract

The present research aims to analyze the Spatial Accessibility to Health Services considering the social, economic, and environmental indicators of the municipality of São Luís amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The selection of São Luís was motivated by the difficulty in accessing health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the access of the population to public health services during the pandemic was investigated, considering the context of this global health crisis. To conduct the research, the approach of technopathogenic complexes developed by Max Sorre and Milton Santos was adopted, and the Two-Step Floating Catchment Area (E2SFCA) Method was used as a spatialization technique to understand the spatial accessibility to health services (AES). Additionally, data from the COVID-19 pandemic, social, economic, and environmental indicators of São Luís, as well as specialized bibliographic references on the subject, were used. The results obtained highlight that the unplanned urbanization in São Luís created peripheral regions with insufficient infrastructure, resulting in an unequal distribution of health services. Socioeconomic disparities left vulnerable neighborhoods with greater difficulty in accessing these services. The precariousness of urban infrastructure, especially the lack of access to basic services, increased the risk of diseases. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted and exacerbated these inequalities, emphasizing the need for public policies for a more equitable distribution of health resources. Through the implementation of effective public policies and the strengthening of collaboration between different sectors, it is essential to implement new policies and strengthen existing ones to improve accessibility to health services, contributing to the reduction of health inequalities in the municipality of São Luís