Traditional and Complementary Medicine in Primary Health Care in Brazil

ABSTRACT We present the situation of Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) in Brazilian Primary Health Care (PHC), its problems and coping strategies. Databases, legislation, regulations and government reports were analyzed, in particular, the first national survey on T&CM. In 2017-2018, 29 T&CM modalities were institutionalized in the Unified Health System (SUS). According to official data, they expanded and were offered by 20% of the PHC teams in 2016, in 56% of the municipalities, but the survey found offer in only 8% of them. Such discrepancy is probably due to the registration / disclosure of data: a professional, once having recorded the exercise of a T&CM converts his / her municipality into a bidder in government statistics. Almost 80% of T&CM occur in PHC, being more common: body practices, medicinal plants, acupuncture, and homeopathy. There is little national training and practice regulation in T&CM. Most professionals are conventional PHC practitioners, on their own initiative, playing an important role in the (small) expansion. The insertion of the theme in education is incipient and there are researches in the area, but few publications. T&CM institutionalization strategies in PHC involve federal stimulus to municipalities, through competent professionals, matrixing, permanent education in service, and governmental action for their insertion in the professional training.