The Brazilian Ministry of Health has extended the registration deadline for its largest-ever professional development offering within the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Health workers in primary care, specialised services and public health surveillance now have until 31 January to register for the Aperfeiçoamento da Prática em Coordenação do Cuidado a partir da Atenção Primária à Saúde, a comprehensive online qualification available at no cost.
Primary Care Coordination training
This self-instructional programme is designed to strengthen coordination of care across all levels of the health system and to shorten waiting times by promoting shared care models and better organisation of work processes. All Brazilian municipalities have signed on to the initiative, making the course accessible to more than four million SUS professionals nationwide.
The curriculum comprises 37 disciplines organised into 15 modules. Each module runs between 20 and 30 hours, and the full programme totals 360 hours of study delivered over roughly 22 months. Course materials include telelectures, interactive classes, ebooks and other complementary resources hosted on an online learning platform. Participants will work through clinical case discussions and practical simulations in the Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizagem (AVA), where objective questions and automatic feedback support learning.
Professionals may choose to complete the entire qualification or select specific modules according to local needs and professional roles. To receive the complete certification or a partial certificate for an individual module, participants must complete at least 70% of the required activities. Classes are scheduled to begin in March 2026 on the Mais Conasems platform.
The course covers a broad range of topics relevant to primary care practice and health system management. Key subjects include fundamental principles of primary health care and SUS, coordination of care through shared responsibilities and technology use, risk stratification and social and epidemiological risk assessment, and the use of information systems in clinical management. Clinical areas addressed in the programme span oral health, cancer and palliative care, mental health, neurodivergent patient care, life-cycle based care, and management of chronic transmissible and non-transmissible conditions.
Practical skills are also a focus. The programme includes training on the management of low-complexity acute events and minor procedures within primary care settings, alongside modules on monitoring, evaluation and promoting equity across territories served by primary health teams.
The initiative is delivered through a partnership between the Ministry of Health and the National Council of Municipal Health Secretariats (Conasems), with support from the AC Camargo Cancer Center under the Proadi-SUS institutional development programme. By offering free, flexible and practice-oriented training at scale, the Ministry aims to boost capacity across the SUS workforce and encourage more integrated, timely care for patients across Brazil.
Health professionals interested in enrolling should visit the Mais Conasems platform to register before the 31 January deadline.
Key Takeaways:
- Registration for the Primary Care Coordination training is open until 31 January and is free to more than 4 million SUS professionals.
- The online programme totals 360 hours across 15 modules, with 37 disciplines covering clinical care, public health and information systems.
- Participants can complete the full programme or individual modules; a 70% completion rate is required for certification.
