Health Care in Santa Catarina, Brazil

The Health Care System in Brazil is in general structured as in USA, with a relatively large private sector. The system is also fragmented in many smaller hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other medical centers. A visit to the doctor can be a frustrating thing since one may have to visit a doctor, a laboratory, and the hospital for one simpler disease. On the other hand, the fragmented structure also means that many doctors and medical centers are specialized in specific diseases in which they have a high level of competence.

The quality of different hospitals and clinics varies and the privately driven medical centers are in general better than public ones. In fact, the best hospitals in Brazil are among the world's best hospitals, while the worst hospitals, often public ones in poorer areas, are performing poorly.

The public Health Care System in Brazil is called SUS, a system that incorporates both public and private medical centers. It is a good system on the paper, as good as any system in a western country, but the problem is that the government lacks financing and can not pay private hospitals and clinics that do not recognize or adhere to the system. The situation is better in Santa Catarina since the communities have more money which improves the health care services performed by both the public and private sectors.

In Santa Catarina, the system with SUS works best in non-urgent cases, for example a surgical treatment where the patient can wait for some months so that the government system has time enough to collect and release the money.

There is also an unofficial security network in Santa Catarina, where the mayor in the municipality often steps in and release money for treatment of poor people, from case to case.

Foreigners who live in Santa Catarina ought to sign some kind of Health Care Plan and there are a number of alternatives available. It is also important to have a good house doctor with whom it is possible to communicate and that perform his services 24 hours per day. He would then assist in an urgent call, making sure that the patient arrives to a clinic or hospital with the proper competence to treat the disease.

We have lived in Santa Catarina for many years and we are of course happy to help out customers to solve the issue of health care.

	The Health Care System in Brazil	April 2005

The Health Care System in Brazil is in general structured as in USA, with a relatively large private sector. The system is also fragmented in many smaller hospitals, clinics, laboratories and other medical centers. A visit to the doctor can be a frustrating thing since one may have to visit a doctor, a laboratory, and the hospital for one simpler disease. On the other hand, the fragmented structure also means that many doctors and medical centers are specialized in specific diseases in which they have a high level of competence. The quality of different hospitals and clinics varies and the privately driven medical centers are in general better than public ones. In fact, the best hospitals in Brazil are among the world's best hospitals, while the worst hospitals, often public ones in poorer areas, are performing poorly. The public Health Care System in Brazil is called SUS, a system that incorporates both public and private medical centers. It is a good system on the paper, as good as any system in a western country, but the problem is that the government lacks financing and can not pay private hospitals and clinics that do not recognize or adhere to the system. The situation is better in Santa Catarina since the communities have more money which improves the health care services performed by both the public and private sectors. In Santa Catarina, the system with SUS works best in non-urgent cases, for example a surgical treatment where the patient can wait for some months so that the government system has time enough to collect and release the money. There is also an unofficial security network in Santa Catarina, where the mayor in the municipality often steps in and release money for treatment of poor people, from case to case. Foreigners who live in Santa Catarina ought to sign some kind of Health Care Plan and there are a number of alternatives available. It is also important to have a good house doctor with whom it is possible to communicate and that perform his services 24 hours per day. He would then assist in an urgent call, making sure that the patient arrives to a clinic or hospital with the proper competence to treat the disease. We have lived in Santa Catarina for many years and we are of course happy to help out customers to solve the issue of health care.