MAN‘S HEALTH: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Introduction and objective: Man’s health situation is clearly unfavorable comparing with women’s, evidenced both by their higher mortality in all age groups, as by their specific way of dealing with health care, demonstrated by their absence of primary care services, their noncompliance and late demand for care, with consequent impairment of their health. This study aims to examine questions about the National Health Policy of Man and its implementation in Primary Health Care (PHC) . Method: This is a literature review based on theoretic references related to the National Policy for Integral Attention to Man's Health (PNAISH). Results and Conclusion: The man's health has been little approached in contrast to women's health, which is object of public policy and research. As a consequence, we have few male presence in PHC. The PNAISH was established in August 2009 by the Ministry of Health recognizing that male grievances are real public health problems. This policy aims to attend the male population aged 20-59 years, being one of its main objectives the promotion of health actions that contributes significantly to the understanding of the men’s reality in their cultural and economic aspects. It is essential to create measures to assess the mainly complaints that affect the male population, and facilitate access to PHC and thus open doors for a bigger presence of men in PHC and reduce their morbidity and mortality.