PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES AND THE PROMOTION OF EQUITY: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS

The study aims to explore how public policies influence the structure and provision of healthcare services, ensuring universal and equitable access for the population. The methodology adopted was the Integrative Literature Review, based on the six-step model, using the Virtual Health Library and Web of Science databases, considering studies published between 2014 and 2024. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 articles were selected for in-depth analysis. The results indicate that equity in access to healthcare services depends on a combination of universal policies and targeted interventions for vulnerable groups. Strategies such as sustainable financing, private sector regulation, infrastructure expansion, strengthening primary care, and the use of telemedicine were identified as essential for achieving universal healthcare services. It is concluded that promoting health equity requires the implementation of integrated and sustainable public policies in order to guarantee universal and equitable access to the population. Despite progress, challenges persist in resource management and service distribution. Future research should further explore the effectiveness of these strategies in different contexts.