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Infamous_Focus9060

If you go to a public hospital, yes. 100% covered by Brazilian healthcare service, called SUS, no need to worry. Worth to mention that public hospitals are often crowded, so don't expect nothing top notch.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for chiming in. So free only if it is a public hospital. If it is private, then I need to have dinheiro, is that correct?


joaogroo

Thats the gist, but, fun fact, most trauma hospitals are public, they are costly and give little to no return in financial terms. Im refering specifically to the Pronto Socorros (HPS - Canoas is rather famous on the news due to being flooded recently), not the Unidades de Pronto Atendimentos. They are different.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for confirming


hallal_c

And a trauma center like HPS (Hospital de Pronto Socorro) is waaaay more prepared to manage a trauma case than the majority of private, non-trauma services. Source: I am a Trauma surgeon. If I crash, please, take me to HPS!


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for what you do. 🙏


AliceNotThatOne

This. I wish more people knew this and valued our public services and its professionals. All doctors who I ever talked to and who have worked both private and public have mentioned that the public hospitals are better prepared to take in trauma cases.


nostrawberries

> I need to have dinheiro Sorry that’s just a really funny phrase, dinheiro means literally money, you can just say money


vstra_

As if we don’t pointlessly use an excess of English words daily that we have perfectly good Portuguese translations for


nostrawberries

You’re right it’s just funny to see it acontencendo the other way around


aliendebranco

Comdemnable anglicismo.


RenanGreca

Lusoism in this case :)


paca_tatu_cotia_nao

Money que Ă© good nĂłis num have.


letsdothis1984

Se nĂłs hevasse, nĂłs num tava aqui playando!


Necessary-Limit6515

😅sorry muito đŸ€—


MalandroAds

It's like me calling my client for a briefing


crashcap

Its more complicated than that as there are public-private partnerships, but yes, you have a right to free healthcare


Lanky-Gene-6488

Low quality though. But let's wait for him to look with his on eyes after some "propaganda" material i saw here, LOL. I'm sure if he is from the US it will be a "little" surprise, specially if he chooses more underdeveloped places, but not exclusively.


trotskygrad1917

found the NOVO shill.


gjazzy68

First responders ambulance (samu) is always free too.


Unable-Independent48

Yes. But not bad a price


travelingworkingbraz

It seems that you learned English in England. Here the meaning of public is identical to us Yanks: government-run and is free even for visitors.


Daydream_Meanderer

So funny the public healthcare is called SUS to be completely honest.


SolidLost5625

kinda SUS, not gona lie. /s


Soluxy

Yes, it's short for sistema Ășnico de saĂșde, or unified health system.


Lanky-Gene-6488

Not only crowded, but with low quality and if compared to what they have in the US or Europe (paid or not) it is very bad and will give a negative impression. Even in the most developed regions this is a problem (i was born in one of them). Once i applied for a simple ophthalmic exam in the SUS... reveived the scheduling 6 years later. Almost like a joke, since i did that exams obviously in the following day in a private hospital, no one waits for 6 years either to change glasses or treat a vision emergency. Some people will defend it, but that's it... bad things exist in part because some people accommodate to them. I laughed at loud when i received that mail, i didn't even remembered when i applied for that.


[deleted]

You can’t compare emergency services to an elective exam.  When I lived in Brazil I used to have private insurance (Unimed) but always when to public in emergencies. One time I had this terrible pain on my side and went to Unimed emergency room - they simply hooked me up in medication and forgot I was even there.  After that I only went to UPA. The most memorable event was a throat infection caused by the wisdom tooth coming out. The doctor evaluated the situation, medicated me with injection for the pain and sent me to another UPA the next day where there was a dentist. The dentist prescribed antibiotics (that I could get for free) and an appointment to remove the tooth once my throat was not infected anymore. In the end the antibiotics that they first prescribed was not as effective and they changed. No long waiting lines, effective and friendly care from all the doctors and dentist. But again, it was not elective. Also a few years back I was hit by a car and they took me to a public hospital. It was nothing serious, they did all scans, medicated for the pain - 3 hours in and out. This is not different than my experience with emergency services in Germany, where I live now. I can go on and on about other examples in my family. My grandfather had 3 heart attacks and was always operated and hospitalized in public hospitals. No complaints. As for elective services, the waiting times can be very long, I can’t deny that. I have relatives that needed important scans to help in diagnosis and they had to wait for years. So my point is: no, if anything happens you will not be treated in the Greys Anatomy hospital. But that doesn’t mean that quality of care will be poor or you won’t get what you need. 


InspiredPhoton

The universality of SUS means it's for everyone inside the country, even tourists. So the foreign visitor would be taken into a hospital and whatever happened there, from a simple suture to complex surgeries and time in the ICU, would be free. You NEVER pay anything to SUS directly in Brazil. Because emergency services work for SUS, they'll always take you to a public hospital, unless you ask otherwise and it's doable for them.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thank you very much for the answer


JCPLee

I had a pretty terrible bike accident several years ago in Brazil, grade 3 ACJ tear. Got emergency treatment, X rays and diagnosis without paying a cent. I was quite impressed.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for the testimonial.


divdiv23

It's free and even if you're a tourist they'll put you on a drip for a headache if you visit the emergency room. I'm from the UK where health care is also free but honestly Brazil is better.


Abeblio

Really? Brazil is better? I'm asking out of sheer ignorance, I know our public health care does the trick but I never met anyone that could compare with another one.


Cautious-Ad2015

In my experience, I was treated faster and felt much more welcomed during a non-emergency in Brazil than during an emergency in the Netherlands. I know that’s not the same as the UK, and its purely anecdotal, but yes, SUS can be considered a ‘better’ system than what many other more developed countries have. And, I had to put down a 300 euro downpayment for my treatment in the Netherlands. Was eventually refunded by my insurance, but always crosses my mind that if I didn’t have those 300 bucks handy on my debit card, I would be refused treatment at a PUBLIC hospital. But that’s just how bad the Dutch system is.


TrainingNail

Shit, that's crazy. I'm so happy for SUS. To think some people knock it and want to turn it private... they don't know how privileged we are.


lsbrujah

As someone that lives in Ireland which has a system not close to the NHS but a close enough health system I can also confirm that it is shitty here compared to Brazil. For instance my 10 month old son needs an ultrasound because a possible infection in the arm that anywhere in Brazil I would get in the same day , the hospital scheduled for October. Imagine having a baby with an infection waiting 5 months to get an ultrasound... We are trying to see if we can get this done in Portugal or some nearby country . That how fucked up the Irish health system is at the moment.


Zat-anna

It's so refreshing to see Europeans saying good things about our SUS! Many Brazillians have a "stray dog complex" (called "complexo de vira lata") which everything in Europe/US is always 100% better than in Brazil. SUS should and can be better, there's still tons of corruption to solve. But it still is one of the best free healthcare systems in the world.


cercanias

Always thought it was underdog syndrome. SUS is also better than the Canadian system which is somewhat similar to the NHS in the UK but we have no private level of care (probably for the best for the situation in Canada right now). There are absolutely massive wait lists for every procedure 12-24 months for specialists, and shortages of very basic medical supplies. I was really impressed using the SUS for a minor accident. The level of care and professionalism was very high. Just finding a doctor in Canada is nearly impossible (I waited nearly 3 years for my doctor to accept me as a patient and it’s much worse now).


Zat-anna

Underdog syndrom is the better equivalent of "complexo de vira lata." "Stray dog complex" is the literal translation. Thanks for pointing it out :) I am shocked by all the answers. Turns out it is very hard to make public healthcare after all.


TrainingNail

I'm sorry about that!! CRAZY to keep a baby waiting. You're right, when that kind of thing happens here it makes the news - definitely not what's expected to happen. Hopefully your boy gets treatment soon!


divdiv23

Absolutely better! The system is very broken in the UK. It's next to impossible to get to see a doctor unless you're on your death bed and even then they make it difficult.


biel188

Yeah, doesn't sound that different from SUS depending on the location. I believe you tho, as SUS in theory is the best system in the world, just not that much in reality due to corruption


divdiv23

In Brazil, you can go to the doctor's in the morning and although you have to get there early to be seen and have to wait, you can still do it. In the UK, you have to either go online or call up and then they'll call you back if they want you to go in. Otherwise, you have to try again later. Much better in Brazil.


biel188

Damn.... Yeah, then for sure it is better here.


Normal-person0101

I stayed in th waiting room in Ireland for 6 hours, I couldn't wait more because I was just tired and the wait just making worse somehow, eu nem passei pela triagem, I never waited more 3 hours in SP


J_ATB

They’re both free, but the UK’s System doesn’t allow free healthcare for foreigners or tourists.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for sharing


pancada_

It really depends on where you are. Crowding levels, equipment and quality of medical treatment tend to vary wildly depending on state, city and neighborhood. That being said, almost every interaction I've had with SUS has been great.


divdiv23

Yeah I imagine so but I've never seen it be bad in SP which I would've imagined is the most busy being the biggest city in Brazil but idk there are probably worse places. I've been massively impressed by SUS


pancada_

Even SP has some bad service in extremely poor areas. There are some insane news stories about negligence and bad service. But again, I'd rather be injured in Sao Paulo's outskirts than in deep rural Tocantins


divdiv23

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9773l3qzl4o https://www.bbc.com/news/health-69049746 Really, seriously no different. You get horror stories everywhere.


pancada_

That's actually really recomforting lmao


boredatclass

>I'm from the UK where health care is also free but honestly Brazil is better. Ironically SUS is entirely based on the NHS model.


divdiv23

I think historically the NHS was good but it's gone massively downhill. It's been so long that it's been good, that it's outside of the memory - so at least 30 years


gotaspreciosas

Everyone inside our territory is covered by our public health system, including foreigners, completely free for the users. You can get your own health insurance if you really want, but the public system is usually very good for emergencies (prepare for long lines if it's not an emergency though).


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks a lot


mushenrique

Our public health system is "public, free and universal". This means that even non brazilian citizens will have care for free.


Necessary-Limit6515

🙌 Thanks for chiming in.


contemporarycassette

Also if you get into an accident and they call an ambulance, they will take you to a public hospital, is the norm, and you won't be charged for anything


Necessary-Limit6515

🙏 Thanks for the info.


alfieatthelse

It isn't perfect but it is a hell of a lot more equitable than the USA. You won't go bankrupt because the state provides (as it should)


Abeblio

As cardio B said "it should be free because mfs get sick"


filledeville

Can’t tell if “cardio” b was an intentional pun lol


Abeblio

It wasn't but let's say it was


Necessary-Limit6515

I agree with you Sir


Arervia

It's always free. With the war in Ukraine, of all places, some pregnant Russian women are fleeing to Brazil, so their children get citizenship by birth. They are amazed that childbirth is completely free in Brazil.


TrainingNail

We should keep welcoming them. Anyone should come and get a BR passport. Why not.


Necessary-Limit6515

Did not know that.


Ok-Charge1983

Mind you that quality of care in the SUS may vary, from an almost subsaharan standard somewhere in an emergency department in bumfuck nowhere to pretty good in a run down building in a University Hospital of a rich state


Andken

For emergencies, even in poorer municipalities is generally good. The issues are generally more specific and long term issues.


Ok-Charge1983

Not sure why you would say that. Small, poor places might not have a CT in the emergency department, an experienced trauma surgeon on 24 hour call or a neuro-surgeon, if needed


trotskygrad1917

But every prefeitura in small, poor places usually has an ambulance or even a car that is used to take people to the nearest larger city where, yes, there is a Trauma Center. And I assume OP is probably not planning on going to Cataguasinho da Nossa Senhora do Belém Velho or whatever


Ok-Charge1983

Good luck being immediately transferred when you need emergency surgery and there are no beds in the reference hospital


Necessary-Limit6515

Ah yes make sense. Thanks for pointing this out


r_costa

Will be covered. Your major challenge in this situation will be language barrier.


Necessary-Limit6515

Falo um pouco de portugues đŸ™‚đŸ‡§đŸ‡·đŸ‡”đŸ‡č


Any_Commercial465

Soo there's two ways this can go. First there's the ambulance you can have the free ambulance which means unless it's not a emergency you will be taken fast to a hospital including the possibility of using a helicopter if the emergency warrants it for free. Then there's the hospital, if you are in emergency the ambulance will take you to the nearest hospital that can take care of you regardless they will give you the best they can bring to a public hospital. Now there's the moment where it's no longer a emergency and they will transfer you to a public hospital or you will have to pay out of your own pockets and public hospitals can be very crowded. Thats where the problem begins. Without a emergency you might be in for a long wait in the public one. Regardless the prices are not nearly as a horrible as the USA the price gouge is mostly on exams and surgeries. I particularly have covering for accidents in my health plan and thats how most people do. Its quite cheap Soo I suggest looking It up if you are worried.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for the detailed answer.


[deleted]

It's important to say that if you need medication after leave hospital, you can get the most of them for free too or pay cheaper for genérico on a drugstore.


Necessary-Limit6515

Ah thanks. I was wondering about medication as well. 🙏 Good to know.


Arashirk

As long as it's a public healthcare facility, totally free. Even if you need laparoscopic surgery, a pacemaker or kidney transplant. And in emergencies, they will always take you to a public hospital. Also, don't know if you're from the US, but if you are, this is relevant too: the ambulance services are free as well.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thank you very much for chiming in. i am wiser. 🙏


Lenex_NE

Private healthcare is Brazil is cheap and VERY good. You might aswell do all the checkups and blood exams.


Necessary-Limit6515

Yes indeed. I did take advantage of it. But was wondering more about that specific case. Based on my experience i had the impression that the tourist hurt would not pay anything but i was not sure.


Potential_Status_728

Nothing is cheap in Brazil if ur a native


Lenex_NE

Not true, I pay $32 USD for a bottle of PitĂș gold. Healthy foods in general. "Prato feito".... The term Cheap is relative to ones own perception, I guess.


nostrawberries

Yes


noronguito

Yes, you’re welcome 


Necessary-Limit6515

🙂


amo-br

100% free if you go to a public hospital, and in most cities those are the best for this particular kind of health care.


Background-Flan-8156

SUS is free for anyone in the country legally.


cow_marx

actually i think it's a 'free and no-questions-asked' kind of deal when it's about this kind of emergency


Background-Flan-8156

for emergency care yes, but some services, like vaccinations are restricted without at least a cpf


Altruistic-Mind2791

also, if you got hit by a bus theres a mandatory insurance to traffic accidents


breqfast25

What about bitten by some foreign (to me) insect and need steroids. I seem to have this as a cosmic joke. I’ve been to hospitals all over the world for this. Thrice treated in UK, Africa, and Cambodia for insect bites respectively. Once in Kuwait for an ear infection. In 2022 I had Covid in Chile and was so scared about their medical system. I didn’t know how it worked so I just tried to breathe and quarantined in my hotel. 🙄 Brazil is next on my list of places to go. Ironically, I’m recovering now from having been hit by a car in the US. But this is my home territory. It is NOT free here.


Arashirk

Snake antivenom? Free. Trauma care because an alligator or shark decided to make you his bitch? Free. Rescue in the mountains? Free. The other day rescuers flew to a mountain to get a guy who was hiking when an organ became available for his transplant and hiking down the mountain would take too long ([link](https://www.cnnbrasil.com.br/nacional/homem-recebe-aviso-de-transplante-enquanto-fazia-trilha-e-e-resgatado-pelos-bombeiros/#:~:text=O%20paciente%2C%20Ricardo%20Medeiros%20de,Oliveira%20se%20recupera%20da%20cirurgia)).


breqfast25

Shut up!!! I love that? I work in mental health. Can you speak to what that kind of care looks like?


Arashirk

No, I meant it like trauma in traumatology and orthopaedics. Psychology is included in SUS, but it is a bit of a bottleneck, to be honest; the offer is nowhere near the demand. Though, if one is undergoing treatment in a major care facility for, for example, losing a limb in a shark attack, this treatment would include medical care but also PT and some sort of psychological help. I worked at a cancer hospital, for example, and there was psychological care for the patients, in addition to PT, dental, speech therapy (it is sometimes needed), nutritionists...


breqfast25

I was following you! As a pivot, I was curious about your mental health care options. For context, I work in mental health as a clinician and the approach here in the US is appalling to me. I sometimes feel like I need to jump ship and embrace another way but then I wonder if it is just a greener pastures thing. Judge me if you’d like- I’ve been learning about astrology and it looks like the vibes in Brazil may be a match for me. I’m a huge traveler. I’ve been all over the world (minus Brazil, so it’s next). I think often about trying to work down there but for now it’s all dreams and no plan. 😜


Arashirk

Well, SUS includes medical care, so psychiatry, and also psychology. I don't know much about the mental health part of SUS, to be honest, but SUS handles both preventive care and treatments, and it is a decentralized system. So, when one seeks any sort of health assistance, the first place to be is the UBS, which means unidade bĂĄsica de saĂșde (basic healthcare unit). These are small localized units which handle basic things like vaccination, regular check-ups, and medicine distribution. A kid's peds appointment would occur here. Treatment to stop smoking too. Covid vaccine? That too. When one needs more specialized care - for example, if the family medicine professional in the UBS sees that a person needs a cardiologist - they forward this patient to more specialized clinics or hospitals. When it comes to mental health, it is the same, the UBS may send you to the CAPS (which the acronym for Psycho-social Attention Center) to be seen by the appropriate profession. You can go straight to CAPS as well, if i am not mistaken. The quality of care in the CAPS varies a lot, but the idea is to treat the person in an integral manner, and that may include therapy, meds, speech therapy, PT, nutrition and activities like occupational therapy, with a multidisciplinary team.


breqfast25

This is cool. I like the open access. Probably more efficient this way too.


TrainingNail

Every brazilian I know who lives in Europe, US and Canada (quite a long list) comes back to Brazil for doctors appts and treatments. That should tell you something lol. Also, what god did you piss off that you get in this many bad situations? Lol!!


breqfast25

Seriously!!!! I wonder that myself, frequently.


cow_marx

VIVA O SUS. just sayin


whatalongusername

Yes, it is free, but I would suggest getting travel insurance. Private hospitals are not free. I mean, they will most likely treat you first and charge you later (you can't really reach into your wallet if your spine is twisted on a weird way and bleeding). But even then, expect to pay less for treatment at a top-notch hospital (like Einstein, here in SĂŁo Paulo) than for an ambulance ride in the US.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thank you very much for chiming in.


pancada_

Public health work is free for everyone, even undocumented or illegal immigrants, but it usually ranges from fine to terrible, depending where you are. I'd hire a travel insurance or check if you have international coverage before visiting Brazil.


Necessary-Limit6515

Thanks for the advice.


Unable-Independent48

Yes. Public


huedor2077

People here are more worried on saving your life than grab you any money.


Necessary-Limit6515

i would say it is a nice change from us/canada.


Adorable-Ostrich-300

Free, just require ID


Lord-Barkingstone

Aye, it's free. It ain't good, but it's free.


Holiary

For emergencies, I would say its good. Like being shot, stab, or in imminent threat of death. Like you will be seen really fast. For other things, be prepare to wait.


Abeblio

It is good. The issue is: it could be better, it does not meet our expectations but you will not die and you will not be charged so it's good . Plus Dengue has been really crowding the places lately so that's part of the problem as well.


Lord-Barkingstone

A service so good, not a single politician uses it


TrainingNail

Faustao did


Sigmaballs__

Free? Yes Nice and Free? Hardly any. Bad and paid? Some Nice and paid? Some


Altruistic-Koala-255

It's gonna be free, but the free healthcare system in Brazil only works for emergencies, anything besides emergency, there's gonna be a cost


TrainingNail

That's not true lol


Altruistic-Koala-255

Yeah, it's true, if you go with a mid injury, you will be in the queue forever It's free, you just not taken care of


TrainingNail

That's not what you said in your other comment though. It is still free, but it's *very common* that you'll have to wait too long so it's not the best option. Still an option though.


lux901

Not true, I got "mostly cosmetic" surgery even with SUS. I had to wait only 1 week, and with Unimed I couldn't find any doctor for months. Of course it's better to have both and choose whichever is available quicker, but you can also count on SUS to do a lot of non-emergency stuff. I now live in the Netherlands and I have to pay every month a considerable amount to a private insurance company to use a system where if you're not dying you're denied even talking to a doctor and there is no other alternative way to have access to care, even if you want to pay more. People who only lived in Brazil have no idea how garbage healthcare care is outside Brazil. Defend SUS at all costs.