Workforce dynamics in Brazilian primary health care: 2013-2023

The dynamics of the health workforce is a complex challenge for the Unified Health System, given the significant regional differences in Brazil. Considering the need to produce information on the HWF for system management, the aim of this article was to analyse the growth and distribution of higher education professions in Health Centre/Basic Health Unit-type establishments in Brazil and its regions between 2013 and 2023. It is a descriptive study using the online database of the Department of Informatics of the Ministry of Health (DATASUS). Over a decade (2013-2023), there was a 53% increase in the number of professionals working in primary care units in Brazil, more significantly from 2019 to 2023. The total population ratio of professionals in Brazil and in each region increased in the three periods observed, with the Brazilian rate of higher education professionals in primary care being 170.16 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2023, compared to 117.58 in 2013. In all the periods evaluated, the S and SE regions had a higher population ratio than the CO, NE and especially N regions. The study shows that there was growth in the different occupations. However, density differences in the allocation of professionals remain a challenge in primary care.