Maternal and child health service in Brazil: the evolution of health care and the public policies of the Ministry of Health

This paper reviews the literature on maternal and child health policies with the objective of describing the evolution of health care for maternal and child health service in Brazil since 1937 to the present day. The data were collected in books, websites of the Ministry of Health, Laws and Articles of the Official Gazette, the Virtual Library data bases in BVS/Bireme Health, Medline and the Scientific Electronic Library - SciELO. The definition for public policies on maternal and child health ranged from merely reproductive principles to broader ones, in order to ensure better quality of health and life. In recent decades, with the assistance of government and society, there has been advancement in the health care of women and children. However, we conclude that, despite the advancements observed, the greatest challenge still lies in reducing maternal, infant and child mortality rates.