ABSTRACT
The Brazilian Unified Health System, or SUS, was created in 1988, following the enactment of a new Constitution, which was approved as a framework for the democratic regime in Brazil after twenty-one years of military dictatorship. The Brazilian 1988 Constitution recognizes health as a civil right and a state duty (Elias and Cohn 2003; Brazil 2010). SUS was implemented to guarantee the constitutional mandate of a public health care system, aimed at achieving universal coverage, equity, uniformity, and equivalency of benefits to both urban and rural populations (Giovanella et al. 2008; Fleury et al. 2010; Noronha et al. 2010; Thumé et al. 2010; Paim et al. 2011). Dating back to 1975, SUS inception and design has its roots in the Brazilian health reform and the political movement for democracy involving stakeholders ranging from intellectuals and health services researchers to workers’ organizations and political parties (Elias and Cohn 2003).
