What SUS teaches the British Health Service
English doctor Matthew Harris is currently working in London on a project inspired by what he learned from the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) more than 20 years ago.
A year after graduating in medicine in the UK, he moved to Pernambuco in 1999 and worked for four years as a general practitioner in a health unit in Camaragibe, in the Recife urban area.
At the time, Harris had no idea that this experience would change his career, and even lead to transformations of the UK's National Health Service (NHS) two decades later.
He is currently a researcher at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London and is leading a project aimed at implementing community health agents, something that has been around at SUS for decades, on British soil.
The doctor is quick to say that this initiative is 100% inspired by the Family Health Strategy (ESF), a program created by the Brazilian Ministry of Health in the 1990s that remains active to this day – achieving results that are greatly celebrated by experts in the field. .
Our correspondent Andre Bernath speaks with Harris and tells this story in this video.
Charlotte Whitmore is a contributor at Mediarunsearch.co.uk, covering a broad range of topics including news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on delivering clear, balanced reporting and practical information that helps readers stay informed about current events and emerging developments. Her work highlights stories that matter to everyday audiences, with an emphasis on accuracy, relevance, and accessible journalism that keeps readers connected to the issues shaping the UK and beyond.