The document details the work carried out on the second year of the program and the main results achieved so far, as well as the main activities and projects planned for 2025, ensuring transparency towards society and partners.
Launched in 2023, Together for Health (Juntos pela Saúde, in Portuguese) is an initiative of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), managed by IDIS – Institute for the Development of Social Investment, developed in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil.
In partnership with private donors, the Program aims to gather resources to support and strengthen the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, where approximately 75 million people live, and where 9 out of 10 people depend exclusively on SUS (IBGE, 2020). The high demand presents significant challenges, including low availability of doctors, inadequate infrastructure, and limited access to population health data.
Download the 2024 Together for Health Annual Activity Report here (available only in Portuguese)
Main achievements
Together for Health program: expanding resources for the North and Northeast regions of the country
2024 represented the second year of the Together for Health program, whose mission is to strengthen the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and implement structuring measures, including primary, medium, and high complexity care, as well as urgent and emergency health care services, and support for diagnoses of various diseases.
The results achieved in the year demonstrate that we are on the right track, utilizing well-applied resources and having a positive impact in several territories.
Check out the main actions carried out and the program numbers between 2023 and 2024:
– Expansion of actions, with the implementation of 14 projects, two of them having been concluded
– More than 113 million BRL (approximately 20,3 million USD) will be invested in the reinforcement of Brazilian public health until 2026
– 139 municipalities impacted
– 10,461 health care professionals impacted (direct beneficiaries)
– 1,345 health units mobilized (Basic Health Unit (UBS) or Public Center of Psychosocial Attention (CAPS))
– 16,890 professionals trained
– 4,382 technological equipment provided (e.g. 1,865 tablets, 421 blood pressure devices, 412 Wi-Fi routers, 329laptops, 261 oximeters, etc.)
– 4,332,429 SUS users impacted (indirect beneficiaries)
Since the beginning of the program, Together for Health has already invested:
– 31,7 million BRL (approximately 5,7 million USD) in technology solutions and
– 18,3 million BRL (approximately 3,3 million USD) in infrastructure and health equipment.
Launching the public notice
In 2024, a significant milestone for the program was the launch of the public notice called Primary Health Care Enforcement Initiatives (in Portuguese, Iniciativas de Fortalecimento da Atenção Primária à Saúde), promoted in partnership with Umane, which received over 40 project proposals. The public notice aimed to support projects with solutions for Primary Health Care, prioritizing initiatives which integrated new technologies, digital health and innovation.
– These projects will receive through the public notice around 17 million BRL (approximately 3 million USD)
– So far, 39 municipalities have been directly impacted, with a goal of reaching 50 municipalities in the Brazilian states of Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhão, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Norte, Roraima e Sergipe.
Learn about all the projects developed throughout 2024, via public notice or structured promotion:
Dashboard of Mental Health Indicators
Carried out by ImpulsoGov and supported by RD Saúde, the project had the purpose of expanding access to data and simplified information for mental health managers in Brazilian municipalities. The initiative ended in August 2024.
Impulso Previne – Cycle 1 and Cycle 2
Implemented by ImpulsoGov, in partnership with Dynamo Institute (cycle 1) and Umane (cycle 2), it consists of a digital solution that centralizes data, analysis, and recommendations on the main indicators of Primary Health Care on a single platform. The project has two cycles. The first cycle was completed in June 2024.
Social Protection Health Cycle
The project is carried out by the Health Promotion Center (Cedaps), and supported by Vale Foundation, aiming to strengthen Primary Health Care in SUS, increasing the capacity for diagnosis, planning, operationalization, monitoring and evaluation of services through shared work plans organized by the health needs of local populations.
NoHarm: Intelligence for Patient Safety
Implemented by the Institute of Artificial Intelligence in Health, in partnership with Umane, the project has the objective of improving the safety and management of patients in Primary Health Care through the integration of technologies and the strengthening of operational processes.
epCertify with Hiperdia Care Pathway
The project is carried out by the epHealth Institute, in partnership with Umane, and aims to strengthen the monitoring of chronic diseases, especially hypertension and diabetes.
United for the Elimination of Cervical Cancer in Brazil
This project is implemented by the Brazilian Women Group, in partnership with Umane, and aims to contribute to the elimination of women’s mortality caused by cervical cancer.
In 2025, new projects will be implemented:
– AESOP – Alert-Early System of Outbreaks with Pandemic Potential: executed by the Molecular Biology Institute of Paraná (IBMP), in partnership with Umane.
– CARDIO: implemented by Beneficência Portuguesa (BP), with the support from the Novartis Foundation.
– SUS in the Amazon: carried out by the Sustainable Amazon Foundation (FAS) in two different cycles, the first cycle in partnership with Umane and the second cycle with the support of the Vale Fund.
– Tributaries: executed by the Institute for Health Policy Studies (IEPS), in partnership with Umane.
– V.E.R – Network Vision: executed by the Altino Ventura Foundation (FAV), in partnership with Umane.
– Weaving Threads of Comprehensive Health Care in the Amazon: developed by the Support Center to the School of Public Health of the University of São Paulo (USP) in partnership with Umane.