Berkley Center

As we know from the United States, the politics of health care can be nothing less than complicated. Just take a look at the varying opinions of “Obamacare” during recent years. Unfortunately, it is no different here in Brazil. On the bright side, Brazil has been recognized for its profound health care system, SUS, or the Unified Health Care System. Primarily, it is the recognition of health as a universal right, a common good, and a governmental responsibility. However, as most people will tell you, SUS is great in theory but is not so practical. To provide a little bit of background information, SUS has a long history of social and political commitments that at times have been overstretched. For example, the constitution of SUS states that health care should be free of charge for all Brazilian citizens, but it doesn’t take into account the workforce and resource shortage that the country faces. Although the system has had its challenges over the years, the most interesting observation I’ve made during my time here is the varying opinions about SUS.

During my four months in Brazil, I am interning at the Fiocruz research center, a foundation that has a broad range of responsibilities. Some of their tasks include vaccine production, workforce training, and hospital care. At Fiocruz, everyone is 110 percent for SUS. They believe that everyone should have access to health care and high quality services, no matter the cost. After attending an array of seminars and engaging in multiple discussions with some of these advocates, it is clear that they believe that SUS should be doing more, and it should remain as the country’s number one priority.

However, after a conversation with my Portuguese tutor, a native of Rio, I soon learned that not everyone is as excited about SUS as the people I have met during my internship. It is not that they don’t believe that everyone should have health care, it is that the situation is not correctly being managed. The main problem with SUS is the financing, which has created a major burden for the general population in regards to the taxes that they pay. Taxes in Brazil compare to those of Western European countries but do not provide even a fraction of the benefits. Yes, it funds SUS, but what about the problems of security, political corruption, and education that the country faces on a daily basis? In the past decade, Brazil’s achievements have been impressive, but the challenges and barriers are beginning to hinder further progress. Health is not merely the absence of disease but an effort of teamwork between a number of stakeholders, an important aspect that I don’t think Brazil has completely grasped.

Recently a friend told me, “Cariocas like to dance in the rain” (Cariocas being slang for a resident of Rio). This phrase has made Brazil make a little more sense to me and can definitely be applied to more than one situation. First of all, it clearly explains the “Brazilian time” that everyone runs, considering everything starts at a minimum of a half an hour late. In addition, it also provides hope for the future of Brazil and the support from its citizens for change in all matters of health, politics, and life. Despite the challenges the system faces and the varied opinions of SUS, the Brazilians show us that the right to health care is too important to be lost in a midst of policy debates.