The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), through the Together for Health initiative, and the independent civil association Umane will allocate up to R$20 million for primary health care (PHC) projects of the Unified Health System (SUS). ) in municipalities in the North and Northeast with less than one doctor per thousand inhabitants.
The operation should benefit more than 1,400 cities in the two regions. Projects will be selected through a notice and must present solutions based on the fundamentals of health care networks, with the capacity to impact primary care processes, combining the use of data, new technologies, digital health and innovation.
The information was provided by BNDES, through its press office.
Projects scheduled for completion by June 2026 may request financial support equal to or greater than the minimum individual amount of R$2 million. Among the financeable items are fixed investments, such as civil works, installations, acquisition of national machinery and equipment (accredited in the BNDES Finame line), in addition to qualification and training.
Proponents must be bodies or institutions providing SUS health services, non-profit private legal entities, based in the country, with an institutional purpose compatible with the objectives of the initiative. Proposals can now be sent through the initiative’s website.
Primary health care (PHC) is the main gateway to the SUS. It promotes preventive care for diseases and the solution of low-severity medical cases, also directing patients with more complex diagnoses to higher levels of care. According to data from the Health Information System for Primary Care (Sisab) of the Ministry of Health, last year, 69.7 million individual consultations and 101.6 million PHC procedures were carried out in the Northeast region. In the North Region, there were 17.8 million consultations and 32.6 million procedures.
The head of the BNDES Industrial Complex and Health Services Department, Carla Reis, assessed that the sum of public and private capital with the aim of strengthening public health brings gains for everyone involved, especially for those at the cutting edge, benefiting the services offered by the SUS. According to her, BNDES, with the support of Umane, hopes to support structuring projects to strengthen primary care in the neediest municipalities. “The matchfunding model (collective financing in which a company participates) is a powerful tool for multiplying public investment and expanding the socio-environmental impact of philanthropy.”
BNDES support comes from a matchfunding investment, which means that for every real donated by other institutions, the bank contributes another real. In this notice, BNDES will contribute R$10 million, doubling the amount donated by Umane. The Institute for Social Development (IDIS) will be responsible for managing resources, attracting and selecting projects.
Umane’s general superintendent, Thais Junqueira, highlighted that supporting the Together for Health initiative strengthens the institution’s objective of promoting expanded access to health and the system’s resolution. “Our vision is to have Umane contribute to reducing inequalities in access to healthcare, combining local and regional knowledge and innovations with the potential of organizing work processes, using data and technology.”
The executive director of IDIS, Paula Fabiani, added that joining forces towards common goals is the great strength of matchfunding. “Strengthening the SUS in the Brazilian regions that need it most is a big challenge and the need to support these areas is urgent. The construction of the partnership between IDIS, BNDES and Umane, together with the launch of this first notice, represents a fundamental step towards the transformations we seek.”