Healthcare in Porto Alegre

Brazil has a public universal health system, SUS, plus a wide private network. Porto Alegre has good hospitals in both, and wait times vary a lot by service and urgency.

SUS

Register at a UBS (basic clinic) near your home with CPF and proof of address. That clinic is your family doctor. Referrals, vaccines and the slow path to specialists come from there.

Emergency rooms (UPA / hospital pronto-socorro) cannot refuse you in a real emergency. “Real” is the fight.

Hospital de Clínicas (HCPA) and other public and university hospitals do serious medicine. You do not walk in to get a dermatologist the same week.

Health plans

A plano de saúde is a private plan. Young and healthy: a few hundred reais. Older, or with a pre-existing condition: much more, and they will try to stall you.

New plans have waiting periods (carência). Emergencies usually open in 24 hours. Many procedures wait 180 days. Birth often waits 300 days. Keep international cover until those clocks run out.

Unimed Porto Alegre is the local giant. Bradesco, SulAmérica and others sell national plans. Check whether Hospital Moinhos de Vento, Mãe de Deus and Santa Casa are in network. For a lot of people, Moinhos is the reason they pay.

Employers often include a plan for CLT staff. Independent contractors working as PJ usually arrange their own.

Pharmacies

Panvel, São João, Droga Raia. Many drugs that are prescription-only in the US sit behind the counter here. Antibiotics still need a prescription. Bring chronic meds in original boxes when you move, plus the prescription, plus a plan for the Brazilian brand name.

Mental health

Public psychologists exist and are overloaded. Private therapy in Portuguese is widely available. English-speaking therapists exist in a small circle. Ask in expat groups and at universities. English-speaking psychiatrists cluster near Moinhos.

If you are on a visa

Digital-nomad visas want international insurance. That is not the same as a local plan. A local plan is what you want once you have a CPF and a year ahead of you.

Dentists

Porto Alegre has many dentists and clinics, usually cheaper than Europe and North America. Check reviews, compare prices, and do a first visit before starting larger treatments.