The pharmaceutical workforce in the SUS: Trends and alerts over the last decade (2014-2023)

Abstract The pharmaceutical workforce in the Unified Health System is responsible for the actions that materialize the National Pharmaceutical Policy from management to care. This study sets out to analyze the dynamics of the pharmaceutical workforce in the SUS over the last 10 years, starting from 2013, a period of rapid growth. We analyzed data recorded in the CNES and IBGE, shown in terms of growth and population rates. Between 2014 and 2023, the total pharmacist workforce in the facilities that serve the SUS in Brazil grew by 36%, and in PHC settings by 47%; 91.96% of pharmacists are not linked to any team. The types of professional relationships that have shown the most growth in the last ten years have been those characterized as “unprotected”, such as scholarships and internships, or other types of employment that do not guarantee labor rights. The highest population rates were in the southern states (49.2/100,000), and the lowest in the Northeast and Midwest (32/100,000). The slower growth over the last decade, the disparities between states and regions, and the types of employment contracts all point to the need for continuous work by professional bodies and social participation to defend the pharmaceutical workforce in order to advance the PNAF.