Equity as a guiding principle of digital transformation: a model for resource allocation in the SUS Digital Program

This article presents the foundations, methodology, and territorial analyses that underpinned the creation of the Index of Criteria for the Distribution of Financial Resources for the Digital SUS Program (ICSD), developed by the Department of Information and Digital Health of the Ministry of Health, to promote a more equitable distribution of resources of the program. The methodology involved the use of variables, such as rural-urban typology (2017), the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) (2015), the Brazilian Connectivity Index (Índice Brasileiro de Conectividade - IBC) (2022), the medical specialists density per inhabitant (2023), the percentage of own revenues allocated to health (2022), SUS hospital beds (2023), specialized health care establishments (2023), outpatient production (2023), as well as the attraction indices for health services, of varying complexities, used in the classification of the Region of Influence of Cities (2018). The results revealed regional inequalities and highlight the need for strategies to strengthen digital health in territories with greater vulnerability. This study also discusses the application of the ICSD in the health macroregions and the simulations that guided resource transfers within the Digital SUS Program, aiming to reduce inequities and promote territorial justice.