The Future of Brazilian Health

 30-Apr-15, The Pulse

Only a few countries provide free health care as a constitutional right, Brazil being one of them. In a country of over 200 million people, with almost the same landmass as the U.S., health is a basic right for everyone. It is a duty of the state, shown in the government’s continued commitment to healthcare.

Image: The Pulse / GE Healthcare

However, ensuring access to healthcare services for so many people is anything but easy. Brazil has approximately 2.1 hospital beds for every thousand people and one and a half million medical equipment units in use. These numbers are below the baseline required by the World Health Organization (three to five beds per thousand people), and the healthcare system is facing a shortage of doctors in some areas.

According to Daurio Speranzini Jr., GE Healthcare CEO for Latin America, “Despite all challenges the country is now facing, Brazil’s government is focusing on improving the health care system. Various society sectors, such as labor unions, institutional committees, and private companies are working to guarantee that the country will always have access to the best services and technology."

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