🏥 SUS steals the show

HEALTH CARE

Principles, practice, research: Brazil’s SUS beyond its scale

“I didn’t have to pay a penny!” That’s what many foreigners excitedly post online after receiving care at a public hospital in Brazil. These viral stories often spark enthusiastic engagement from Brazilians — always quick to join the conversation — but their impact goes well beyond likes and shares.

Amid fraught debates over health care access in countries like the United States, Brazil’s Unified Health System, known as SUS, stands out as a powerful — if imperfect — symbol of universal, free health care. It is, in fact, the largest public health system in the world. As such, the Brazilian experience has emerged as a touchstone for other nations, pushing the boundaries of political debate and attracting growing attention from the international press…

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