Government-academia cooperation in the Brazilian National Health System: an analysis of the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care

Abstract This study analyzes the construction of institutional cooperation between the Brazilian Ministry of Health and academic institutions to develop the National Program for Access and Quality Improvement in Primary Care in the Brazilian National Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS). This qualitative research is based on a case study on this kind of cooperation, which carried out documental analysis and interviews with key actors from the Ministry of Health and academia. The political-institutional context of the federal government and the Ministry of Health in 2011 favored a greater opening to the theme of primary care and health evaluation, and a closeness to academia. This institutional cooperation is the result of a historical process where previous initiatives in the field of public health have connected public and academic managers interested in the development of SUS. This study contributes to the debate about the cooperation between government agencies and academia in implementing public health policies in Brazil.