The objective of this study was to analyze the structure for the management of pain in patients with AIDS in a reference hospital in Fortaleza, Brazil. This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, developed in 2010. Twenty interviews were performed with health care professionals (physicians and nurses), and analyzed according to the methodology of content analysis. Data were organized into categories: favorable and unfavorable structural conditions. A prevalence of unfavorable conditions was found in the discourse of the interviewees, such as an emphasis on pharmacologic treatment, absence of specific care strategies for pain, lack of experienced professionals in handling pain, and a high demand and failure in the referral and counter-referral system. It is suggested that a new management care model be instituted for patients with AIDS, emphasizing an interdisciplinary approach to pain, training of health care professionals and improvement of chart records for use in evaluating pain relief methods and more effective treatments.