Public health expenditures in Vitória/ES: priority for primary care

Abstract This study analyzed public spending on health actions and services, especially on primary care, in the municipality of Vitória/ES from 2009 to 2019. It is a quantitative and documentary study that analyzed health expenditure data, based on indicators from the Public Health Budget Information System. The average total expenditure per capita in Vitória corresponded to R$ 1,091.84 per inhabitant per year, with a reduction of 7.83%, caused by the decrease in available revenue. The per capita expenditure on own resources corresponded to an average of R$ 811.02 per inhabitant per year, which represented 74.28% of the total per capita expenditure and was the main source of financing of the system. In terms of the direction of expenditure, there was a predominance of current expenditure to the detriment of capital expenditure. In terms of spending per level of health care, basic care suffered a drastic lowering in per capita spending per year (43.47%), representing 8.52% of total per capita health spending. This scenario is linked to the fiscal austerity policy of the Union, characterized by a reduction in resources for primary care and the lack of priority given to this sub-function by the municipal management.