The Epic of SUS: A Civilizing Achievement (the original title in Portuguese: A epopeia do SUS: uma conquista civilizatória) has just been released by Unicamp Press, serving as an essential record of the journey that led to the creation and implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS), one of Brazil’s greatest social achievements in providing public health care. The book is the result of a collective effort by professionals involved in the conception, consolidation, and results of SUS. It was written by four authors: two physicians with extensive experience in the system, Carmino Antonio de Souza and José Ênio Servilha Duarte; health law specialist Lenir Santos; and journalist José Pedro Soares Martins, who has authored books on health, history, culture, and more.

The idea for the book took shape during the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when SUS played a crucial role in tackling the health crisis caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus — which has claimed more than 710,000 Brazilian lives so far. “Without SUS, it would have been chaos. It was fundamental in bringing dignity to the Brazilian population, both in primary care and at other levels, as the pandemic demanded everything from the system’s infrastructure,” says Prof. Dr. Carmino Antonio de Souza, hematologist, professor at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Campinas (FCM/Unicamp), and principal investigator of CEPID CancerThera.

“If it weren’t for SUS, maintained with public resources and, most importantly, by its health professionals, Brazil would have faced an even greater catastrophe,” adds journalist José Pedro Soares Martins, who not only contributed to writing the book but also conducted interviews and documentary research.

On August 27, both authors were present at the Arts Space of FCM/Unicamp for the third launch event of the book (previous events had taken place in Campinas and São Paulo). Unicamp played a key role, through professionals connected to the university, in paving the way for SUS to be included in Brazil’s 1988 Federal Constitution. Therefore, launching the book on campus and publishing it through Unicamp Press was also a way of celebrating the university’s important contribution to the successful design of the system.

A epopeia do SUS: uma conquista civilizatória — **Click on the album to access captions and download photos**. You can also view everything at this link.

Telling SUS’s history is also defending it

With this book, the authors aim to popularize knowledge about the origins and evolution of SUS, hoping to reach a broader audience beyond health experts. The goal is to retrace the history of the process that culminated in the system’s implementation, from its early groundwork to its first years in operation, highlighting indicators that prove its importance for public health, such as the reduction in infant mortality rates. According to data from Brazil’s Ministry of Health cited in the book, the infant mortality rate in 1990 was 47.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. By 2015, it had dropped to 13.1 deaths per 1,000.

Over 12 chapters, the book demonstrates how SUS required immense effort to build, facing great resistance and many challenges from its inception. Its inclusion in the Federal Constitution was a monumental achievement, but constitutional protection alone was not enough. Souza emphasizes that SUS needed complementary laws and health codes to be solidified. “SUS didn’t fall from the sky. Its creation was difficult, and it faced enormous resistance. Fortunately, we had a well-structured constituent assembly — politically, legally, and administratively — that placed SUS in the Constitution,” he states.

The book also pays tribute to the people and organizations that fought for the creation of the system, acknowledging that, even though SUS continues to face constant attacks and chronic underfunding, it remains a fundamental right for all Brazilians. “SUS represents respect for citizenship. All Brazilians have the right to quality public health services. That is the ‘civilizing achievement’ mentioned in the book’s subtitle,” explains Martins.

With more than 150 million Brazilians relying exclusively on it, SUS is the largest universal health access system in the world. Still, the authors recognize that much remains to be done to improve it. “This book reinforces the need to constantly fight for better public health policy because SUS wasn’t created by chance — it is a conquest of Brazilian civilization. It doesn’t belong to government X, Y, or Z. It is a right of the people, enshrined in the Constitution, which strengthens it in the face of attacks and challenges. We will always defend SUS,” declares Souza.