Abstract:
Objective: To analyze the perception of a group of managers about leprosy care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: Exploratory, descriptive study with a qualitative approach. The study was developed at the Municipal Health Department of Campina Grande, state of Paraíba Data collection took place between February and March 2022. The population consisted of eight professionals who work in the Directorate of Primary Care, Health Surveillance, Management of Health Districts and Leprosy Control Coordination. To
facilitate data collection, two instruments weredeveloped, being a self-administered questionnaire to characterize the study participants, and a semi-structured interview script with questions relevant to the object of study. The data related to the characterization of the study participants were analyzed descriptively and the data from the interviews through the content analysis proposed by Bardin (2016). The study followed the
recommendations of Resolution 466/12 of the National Health Council of the Ministry of Health. Results: After analyzing the interviews, three categories emerged, namely: Implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on leprosy control actions in health services; Valuing leprosy care in the specialized service, and Limited performance of health management in the face of leprosy care. Conclusion: It is observed in this study that professionals working in health management need to strengthen knowledge and understanding about leprosy as a public health problem in Brazil.
