Health care in Brasil

Hi Debora,

Brazil's Sistema Única da Saúde (SUS) is freely available to all. All one need do is go to either the public clinic (Unidade Básico da Saúde - UBS) or City Hall / Sub-City Hall nearest you with some proof of address and apply.

That said, the public health system is one in absolute chaos. It may take many months of waiting for a simple consultation, people wait years for surgery. Many, in fact, have had to resort to obtaining Court Orders requiring SUS to perform procedures following such unacceptable waits. Treatment in Emergency Wards in hospitals, UPAs (Unidade de Pronto Atendimento) for the most part is OK, but not up to "First World" standards by any means. The best option is to purchase a private healthcare plan if you can afford to do so. This would give you access to private hospitals and physicians and the ability to do so much more quickly.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team