Perception of health’s academics about the unified health system (SUS)

The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of health’s students of University of Cruz Alta -RS about the Brazilian Health Public System (SUS). The sample consisted of one hundred and sixteen students, most between 18 and 20 years (53%) who answered a questionnaire with open and closed questions. Among the main results we verified that: 60.8% of students do not have private health plan, being dependent of SUS, the majority (87.9%) identified the SUS as a set of actions and free health services, but other students do confusion between SUS and the brazilian social security system, 27.1% see the SUS as a system focused on low-income people, 95.2% had never attended a meeting of the Municipal Council Health and 44% believe that those who exercise SUS’s social control is the government. We verified realized difficulty that students have to define and insert into your professional practice important concepts of public health; we verify, thus, the importance of implementation of public policies that involve higher education institutions and enable the transformation of these ideas.