The Brazilian federal government says it has repositioned the Sistema Único de Saúde, the SUS, as the central pillar of public health after a series of structural initiatives carried out between 2023 and 2025. Officials point to expanded access, record procedures and a stronger presence of state health services in historically underserved regions as evidence of progress.
Strengthening SUS in Brazil
Ministry of Health data for 2025 show more than 14.5 million elective surgeries were performed, a 37% increase on 2022. Authorities attribute the rise to the integrated programme Agora Tem Especialistas, which manages care from initial consultation through to treatment and has been used to reduce waiting lists. The programme also ran surgical mutirões at university hospitals and in indigenous areas, delivering over 150,000 procedures and 17,500 indigenous attendances.
The government says specialist provision exceeded initial targets. The Mais Médicos Especialistas scheme placed 577 specialists across 187 municipalities, while the broader Mais Médicos programme nearly doubled its workforce to 27,300 doctors, up from 13,700. That expansion strengthened primary care and was credited with reducing preventable hospital admissions across 4,500 municipalities.
Amplyfying primary care reach has been central to the strategy. Annual primary care consultations grew 30% between 2022 and 2025, from 23.9 million to over 31 million, reaching an estimated 67 million Brazilians. The number of Family Health and Primary Care teams in operation rose to 60,400 and federally funded community health teams and endemic control agents were reinforced, with more than R$1 billion in monthly federal funding for frontline workers.
The physical network of the SUS expanded as well. By July 2025 there were 45,700 federally funded Basic Health Units operating in 5,565 municipalities, around 2,200 more than at the start of 2023. Mobile services received extra investment, with thousands of dental caravans and new SAMU ambulances distributed to improve access in remote areas.
Infrastructure and modernisation efforts benefitted from the Novo PAC, which allocated R$31.5 billion to health between 2023 and 2025. More than 3,200 works were financed or executed in that period, a volume the government says is 14 times greater than in the 2019-2021 window. The programme included the rollout of telehealth kits and funding for new UBS units and specialised clinics, with further deliveries scheduled through 2026.
On public health markers, Brazil recorded its lowest AIDS mortality rate in 32 years and achieved international certification from the Pan American Health Organisation and the World Health Organization for the sustained interruption of mother-to-child HIV transmission. Vaccination coverage also improved, with 15 of 16 routine vaccines increasing their reach after national campaigns, school-based vaccination and restored supply chains.
Other notable advances include the relaunch of Farmácia Popular, which now offers medicines free of charge and served 27 million patients by 2025, and the approval of a single-dose dengue vaccine developed by Instituto Butantan, due for initial distribution to primary care workers in early 2026. The ministry also introduced the respiratory syncytial virus vaccine for pregnant women from the 28th week of gestation.
Officials emphasised efforts to counter misinformation and promote evidence-based public health measures. The Ministry of Health and other federal agencies report coordinated actions to protect vaccination campaigns and restore public confidence.
While the government highlights these gains, it also says delivery will continue to depend on sustained investment and progress in logistics and workforce deployment to ensure the SUS reaches all regions evenly.
Key Takeaways:
- Strengthening SUS in Brazil led to record elective surgeries and expanded specialist and primary care coverage.
- Major investments under the Novo PAC and relaunches of Farmácia Popular and Brazil Sorridente increased infrastructure and free medicines access.
- Brazil won international certification for eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission and improved vaccination coverage.
