SUS: The challenge of universal access to health in an unequal Brazil

Abstract

There is no doubt about the great progress of the Unified Health System (SUS) throughout the three decades
and a half of its journey. Important results were achieved in improving the indicators of population health
and reducing inequalities in health. Countless studies, of the most prestigious national and international
research centers, provide evidence of the many and significant victories of the SUS. The implementation of
several national programs (e.g. immunization, transplantation and fight against the human immunodeficiency
virus – HIV), the expansion coverage of primary health care, in addition to successful public health
campaigns (like the one who faced smoking), saved millions of lives and contributed to the Brazilian
population living older and healthier.