Covid-19 in Brazil has exposed socio-economic inequalities and underfunding of its public health system

Type Web Page Author The BMJ URL https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/06/19/covid-19-in-brazil-has-exposed-deeply-rooted-socio-economic-inequalities-and-chronic-underfunding-of-its-public-health-system/ Rights © BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2020. All rights reserved. Date 19/07/2020 Language en-US Abstract Brazil currently has the world’s second highest number of deaths from covid-19. The lack of action from the Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, and his open denial of the pandemic is widely seen as being one of the reasons for this crisis. However, while that is undoubtedly one of the causes of the high rate of infection and deaths from covid-19, we argue that the country’s underlying conditions—its deeply rooted socio-economic inequalities, the fragmentation and chronic underfunding of its public health system—are equally important factors. In the midst of a rapidly evolving public health and economic crisis, there are early signs of some form of resilience in the system, and possible lessons to be learned for the country’s future. Website Title The BMJ