Abstract

LUIS GONZALVEZ, Isabel Pilar  and  MARTINEZ CALVO, Silvia. Citizen perception of healthcare rights and duties. Rev Cubana Hig Epidemiol [online]. 2013, vol.51, n.3, pp.298-310. ISSN 1561-3003.

Introduction: in recent years several authors have drawn our attention to the often forgotten balance between healthcare rights and duties: every individual has the right to enjoy the benefits provided by the State in the field of healthcare, and the duty to restrain from causing harm to other individuals. Objective: develop a proposal of citizen duties in the field of healthcare. Methods: a descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2009 at Angel Machaco Ameijeiras polyclinic. The study universe was composed of 21 326 persons aged 18 and over from the People's Councils of D'Beche, Nalón, Mañana and Habana Nueva, who were cared for at 47 family doctor's consultation offices. A multi-stage non-probabilistic sampling procedure was designed for three phases: consultation offices, families and members. Use was made of document review, nominal groups and interviews. Processing was based on absolute and relative frequencies. Willingness to fulfill duties was evaluated by mean value estimation of the scores obtained on the Likert scale. Results: the existence of healthcare duties was acknowledged. A proposal of 15 duties was developed and subjected to consultation. Willingness to fulfill self-care duties did not exceed 80%. Among collective health duties, there was a predominance of those related to environmental health. Conclusions: there is recognition of the validity of the duties proposed and the need for continued transformation of the health system, including self-responsibility and the fulfillment of collective health duties as a renewed approach to community participation.

Keywords : duties; self-responsibility; transformations in the health care system; self-care; community participation.

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