Pay-for-performance programme in primary health care: analyzing performance and social participation in the Rio Grande do Norte State

Introduction: Pay-for-performance or performance-based financing systems have been adopted worldwide in public health. Following the international trend, Brazil implemented in 2011 the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality (PMAQ).

Originality/value: This study therefore addresses how the National Program for Improving Primary Care Access and Quality contributes to the exercise of social control in Brazilian municipalities as a tool for managing public health policy.

Purpose: In this regard, the objective of this study outline connections between the performance of the health teams in the PMAQ and the participatory health councils, based on the experiences of councillors and managers from the three large municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Norte.

Research Design: The research included semi-structured interviews with members of participatory health

councils and health managers, as well as the systematization of information collected in official documents and articles about PMAQ.

Findings: It was concluded that the data collected on user satisfaction with public health services have a high potential to inform Municipal Health Councils in their role of quality control, which occurs in the three large municipalities of Rio Grande do Norte.