BRAZIL | Summary
OVERVIEW
HISTORY
After the Brazilian Military Regime ended in 1985, Brazil prioritized more rights and freedoms to the citizens in the new constitution as well as a focus on social development.7 “Health is a right of all and an obligation of the State, guaranteed by socioeconomic policies which seek the reduction of the risk of diseases and of other grievances and to the universal and equal access to the actions and services in its promotion, protection and recuperation” is stated in the constitution.8 The current health system, conceived during this time of social movements and re-democratization, is known as the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). It was officially created in 1988 by the new Brazilian constitution. Since 1990, there has been incremental expansion of this health system in efforts to reach universal health coverage.4 In 1996, the federal government introduced an earmarked tax for healthcare on financial transactions which raised around 20 billion USD in 2007. Later this tax was taken off because there were concerns of excessive tax burdens. There were also concerns that the money raised from this tax was not being allocated completely to health care as originally intended.9 Overall, the SUS increased healthcare access to a significant proportion of the population in Brazil in a time where privatization of the health system was increasing.10
HEALTH & HEALTH SYSTEM
The public and private health sectors in Brazil are completely independent of each other. Public hospitals in Brazil offer free, high-quality care at the point of delivery but do struggle with overcrowdedness and long wait times. The conditions in public hospitals are lower than private sectors, for example, lack of air conditioning or missing certain medical equipment. Although foreigners can receive free care at these facilities, most prefer to opt for private services which they have to pay for.13 Private health insurance is voluntary and supplementary to the SUS. Approximately 23% of Brazilians have private health plans which grants them access to care at private facilities. The majority of beneficiaries receive private health insurance through their employers as a benefit. Individuals and legal entities can deduct health costs from their taxable expenses.4
The largest concentration of doctors and hospitals are located in the urban areas. This poses challenges for the rural and low-income areas of Brazil, in addition to other public health disparities. Poor sanitary and housing conditions negatively affect the health of Bralizians living in Favelas, mostly around São Paula, Rio de Janeiro and other large cities. To address these issues, government programs and privately supported clinics have been established in many favelas to improve health outcomes, especially in maternal and child care. In these areas, there have also been improvements in the systems of potable water and sewage that have reduced the spread of disease.14
HEALTH INDICATORS & DEMOGRAPHICS
- Fertility Rate: 1.7 live births per woman
- Life Expectancy (Female, Male): 80, 73
- Infant Mortality Rate: 11 deaths per 1,000 live births
- Child Mortality Rate: 13 per 1,000 live births
- Maternal Mortality Rate: deaths per 100,000 live births
- Prevalence of Obesity: 22%
- White: 47%
- Pardo (Mixed Race): 43%
- Black: 8%
- Asian: 1.5%
- Amerindian: 0.5%
- 0-14 years: 21.9%
- 15-24 years: 16.3%
- 25-54 years: 43.7%
- 55-64 years: 9.4%
- 65 years and over: 8.6%
References
1. The World Bank. (2020). Brazil . Data. https://data.worldbank.org/country/brazil.
2. The World Bank. (2017). Current health expenditure (% of GDP). Data. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.GD.ZS.
3. Brazil Population 2020 (Live). Brazil Population 2020 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs). (2020). https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/brazil-population.
4. Tikkanen, R. (2020, June 05). Brazil. Retrieved from https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/coun...
5. Geography Now! Brazil. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFfcD-SkqIc
6. Elias, P., & Cohn, A. (2003, January). Health reform in Brazil: Lessons to consider. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447689/
7. Napolitano, M. (2018). The Brazilian Military Regime, 1964–1985. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.013.413
8. Brazilian Federal Constitution Article. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://conselho.saude.gov.br/web_sus20anos/20anossus/legislacao/constitu...
9. Brazil's march towards universal coverage. (2011, March 04). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/9/10-020910/en/
10. Paim J;Travassos C;Almeida C;Bahia L;Macinko J;. (n.d.). The Brazilian health system: History, advances, and challenges. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21561655/
11. Brazil Age structure. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.indexmundi.com/brazil/age_structure.html
12. Health and health care in Brazil. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aetnainternational.com/en/individuals/destination-guides/exp...
13. Healthcare in Brazil. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/brazil-student-insurance/h...
14. Martins, L., & Schneider, R. (2020, September 21). Primary and secondary school. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Brazil/Primary-and-secondary-school
15. Brazil Demographics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/brazil-demographics/
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