Brazil Approves National Policy to Advance Digital Health and Literacy
Brazil's National Health Council approves a comprehensive digital health policy focusing on data integration, telehealth expansion, and digital literacy to enhance public health governance and equity.
- • Brazil's National Health Council approved the National Policy of Digital Health Information (PNISD).
- • The policy aims to centralize healthcare, integrate clinical histories, and expand telehealth services.
- • Digital literacy for citizens and health advisors is integral to the policy’s implementation.
- • The policy ensures data protection compliant with Brazil's General Data Protection Law.
- • Special focus is given to indigenous and marginalized populations to reduce digital health disparities.
Key details
The Conselho Nacional de Saúde (CNS) has approved the Política Nacional de Informação e Saúde Digital (PNISD), marking a landmark advancement in Brazil’s public health system, the Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). The PNISD aims to centralize healthcare services around the citizen, integrate clinical histories nationwide, expand telehealth offerings, and safeguard health data from commercialization, aligning with the General Data Protection Law.
This policy ushers in a new phase of public health governance by mandating digital literacy initiatives for SUS users and training for health advisors to ensure inclusive access and social participation. Notably, it prioritizes addressing healthcare disparities for indigenous populations and marginalized communities, aiming to reduce digital divides.
Ana Estela Haddad, former Secretary of Information and Digital Health, highlighted substantial progress, including a 400% increase in integrated health data and over 10 million telehealth consultations completed between 2025 and 2026. Following the PNISD's approval at the CNS's 381st Ordinary Meeting, a digital health action plan within SUS must be formulated within 180 days by the Comissão Intergestores Tripartite, with active social control to uphold policy compliance.
National health advisor Deborah Melecchi called this development "historic," emphasizing the necessity of advancing new technologies alongside enhancing citizen digital literacy to empower social control. Meanwhile, Shirley Morales stressed the importance of preventing health data monetization, a long-fought challenge in Brazil’s health policy landscape.
As Brazil implements this ambitious digital health framework, it sets a course toward more equitable, data-driven healthcare, promising to strengthen public trust and inclusivity in the country’s health system.
This article was translated and synthesized from Brazilian sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
