The right to health

August 2016

Blog de HCS-Manguinhos

The Brazilian, Unified Health System, better known by the acronym SUS, is entirely free of any cost, for any person. SUS was created in 1990,  grounded on the idea of  health as a human right, as stated in the Brazilian constitution of 1988:

“Health is a right of all and an obligation of the State, guaranteed by socioeconomic policies which seek to the reduction of the risk of disease and of other grievances and to the universal and equal access to the actions and services in its promotion, protection and recuperation.” In the difficult political situation of the country at the time, with economic crisis, austerity measures and spending cuts we interviewed two experts on the subject.

José Paranaguá is a reference in Brazil and Latin America in terms of community health, international health and bioethics. He is a doctor and has a PhD in health sciences.  Among his many awards, he received the Oswaldo Cruz Medal of Merit in 2009 from the Brazilian Ministry of Health. Read the interview with José Paranaguá.

Carlos Henrique  Paiva is Assistant Professor of the Graduate Program in The History of Science and Health at the Casa deOswaldo Cruz. Carlos Henrique Paiva has published several articles and books about the history of public health in Brazil, health reform and the Brazilian National Health Service (SUS).  Read the interview with Carlos Henrique Paiva.

Read in HCS-Manguinhos blog: “Health is everyone’s right” – José Paranaguá discusses the creation of SUS and the challenges to maintain an universal health policy in a country the size of a continent. For an universal health system – In this interview, Carlos Paiva analyzes the difficulties of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS). Read in HCS-Manguinhos: Paiva, Carlos Henrique Assunção and Santana, José Paranaguá de Presentation. Hist. cienc. saude-Manguinhos, Mar 2015, vol.22, no.1, p.18-20. ISSN 0104-5970 See the full issue of the dossier Bioethics and diplomacy in health, organized by José Paranaguá and Carlos Henrique Paiva. Health reform and the creation of the Sistema Único de Saúde: notes on contexts and authors Paiva, Carlos Henrique Assunção; Teixeira, Luiz Antonio Political challenges facing the consolidation of the Sistema Único de Saúde: a historical approach Rodrigues, Paulo Henrique de Almeida Full issue about SUS  (vol. 21, n.1, jan.-mar. 2014).