home healthcare Brazil – Global Health Intelligence – Healthcare Market Insights for Emerging Markets

Brazil: Obesity prevalence increased by 60% over the last decade in Brazil

GHI Analysis — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 22:04:58 +0000

Obesity is increasing at a high pace with one in every five Brazilians obese. More than half the population is overweight.

Estimates by the Ministry of Health (MoH) show that prevalence of obesity has increased by 60%, rising from 11.8% in 2006 to 18.9% in 2016. Percentage of overweight population increased from 42.6% to 53.8%.

Experts attribute the weight gain of Brazilians not only to economic and cultural factors but also genetic and hormonal. Studies have highlighted the change in eating pattern over the last few decades. With little time to eat, people have reduced home-cooked meals and opted for faster, higher caloric foods.

Surveys have observed a change in the regular consumption of beans which considered a staple diet for Brazilians, decreased from 67.5% in 2012 to 61.3% in 2016. Additionally, only one in three adults consume fruit five days a week. Increase in purchasing power can also be attributed to the growth of obesity prevalence.

Middle-class income which represents currently 56% of the population grew by 71% between 2005 and 2015, with the income of the poorest 25% increasing the most. It has also been observed that percentage of overweight population significantly increased in the age group from 18 to 24 years (30.3%) and 50% in 25 to 44 years.

Other contributing factors include genetics, disturbed sleeping patterns and lack of healthy diet. Obesity can lead to increased risk of other metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. Cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancer account for 74% of annual deaths in Brazil.

Brazil: Ministry of Health launches national plan to eradicate tuberculosis by 2035

GHI Analysis — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 22:37:33 +0000

The Ministry of Health (MoH) launched a national plan to reduce the incidence and eradicate tuberculosis in the country. Currently, the disease has an incidence of 32.4 per 100,000 people in Brazil.

The aim of the plan is to reduce the incidence to 10 per 100,000 cases by 2035. This plan reaffirms the country’s commitment to the World Health Organization (WHO) and marks the World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated on 24^th March. The plan defines the indicators to be monitored by states and municipalities in the health care network.

The objective of the plan is early diagnosis, continuous treatment and reducing abandonment before the recommended period. The national plan is divided into three pillars. First is integrated and patient-centered prevention and care, second is strong public policies and support system and third is strengthening of research and innovation.

Disease control will be made based on indicators such as detection, diagnosis, TB-HIV co-infection, completion of treatment and cases of latent, sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. To raise public awareness about tuberculosis, the MoH is running campaigns.

The campaign emphasizes that responsibility for treatment should be shared by patient, health care team, family, and friends. In addition to people with HIV, lower income population who have difficulty in accessing health services are prone to tuberculosis.

According to the MoH, 9.7% of confirmed tuberculosis cases had HIV in 2015. In 2016, 66,700 new cases and 12,800 relapse cases were registered in Brazil. The mortality coefficient for tuberculosis reduced by 15.4%, from 2.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2006 to 2.2 per 100,000 in 2015. Brazil registered 4,500 deaths from tuberculosis in 2015. Incidence in Rio de Janeiro is 5 per 100,000 people and Pará is 2.6 per 100,000 people.

According to the WHO, tuberculosis was the leading cause of mortality globally in 2015 and may have killed more than 1.8 million people. Six countries accounted for 60% of all new cases in 2015 namely India, Indonesia, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa. In 2014, the Ministry of Health Rapid Test Network for Tuberculosis (RTR-TB), a diagnostic test which detects the presence of the bacillus causing the disease in two hours and identifies rifampicin resistance. For 2017, the MoH has planned to distribute 70 new equipments with the capacity to do 250,000 tests.

Brazil occupies largest share of Latin America home healthcare market

GHI Analysis — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:38:45 +0000

Latin America home healthcare market, by geography is segmented as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and others. Brazil contributed for the largest share, i.e. around 35%, in 2013 of the Latin America home healthcare market. Increasing healthcare awareness and rising healthcare expenditure on chronic diseases in Brazil drive the market of home healthcare in Brazil. Mexico contributed the second largest share i.e. over 25% of the total market in 2013 and is expected to witness fastest growth during the study period. High prevalence of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and increasing healthcare investment by the Government of Mexico will support the growth of home healthcare in Mexico. The growth of home healthcare market in Argentina and Colombia is mainly attributed to the introduction of new technologies coupled with new product launch by key companies. Some of the prominent players in the Latin America home healthcare market are Omron Healthcare, Phillips Healthcare, Medtronic, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Praxair Technologies, Teleflex Corporation, Bayer Healthcare, ResMed, GE Healthcare, Cardinal Health, Gentiva Health Services, Invacare Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories and others.

Philips aiming healthcare public-private partnerships in Brazil

GHI Analysis — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:24:29 +0000

Philips is keen to engage more in healthcare public-private partnerships in Brazil. The Dutch company grasps almost 20% of a consortium that includes Brazilian health imaging diagnostic companies Alliar and Fidi. The consortium is a result of an 11-year contract signed in 2015 to handle patient tests in Bahia state’s public healthcare network. During the first three quarters of 2016, the consortium posted revenue of BRL 86 million (USD27.6 million). According to Henk de Jong, Phillips executive director in Latin America, there is a great opportunity at this moment in the region and the company is very much interested to participate more in the management of projects linked to public health in the region. The current government’s willingness to work with the private sector in areas like healthcare is appealing. Philips began migrating its business to the healthcare industry in 2011. Recently, Philips has inaugurated a new factory to make medical equipment (X-ray, MRI, CAT scan and ultrasound equipment) in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Healthcare public-private partnerships being planned in Brazil include ones for the construction and maintenance of hospitals in Minas Gerais and capital Brasília.

Brazil Health Minister releases BRL 234 million for health services

GHI Analysis — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:36:22 +0000

Brazil’s Health Minister has released BRL 234 million a year for health services that were running without compensation from the federal government. The funds will go to 193 municipalities and will include Psychosocial Care Centers, Specialized Centers for Rehabilitation, Home Care and Emergency Care Units and to subsidize specialized and medium-complexity hospital and outpatient services. BRL 591 million were also released to meet the parliamentary amendments. The state of São Paulo also received 81 new ambulances from the Mobile Emergency Care Service. The objective is to replace ambulances with up to five years of circulation without renewal. The grant will benefit 57 cities in São Paulo. Of the total number of vehicles donated, 51 are among the 204 new cars purchased for the whole country, at a cost of BRL 30.7 million. The state of São Paulo currently has 594 ambulances, 495 units of basic support and 99 of advanced support, in addition to 58 motolances and 51 regulatory centers. According to Minister Ricardo Barros, the funds released are a result of the optimization of pulp spending. The biggest volume of savings made by the ministry was buying medicines, followed by contract review and administrative reform and very austere ministry management.

Venezuela strains Brazil’s healthcare system as Venezuelans flee to Brazil for medical care

GHI Analysis — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:31:16 +0000

People of Venezuela are travelling to Brazil in search of food, medicine and hospitals as a result of Venezuela’s failing healthcare system. Economic crisis and hyperinflation have cleaned Venezuelan hospitals of needles, bandages and medicine. Desperate for care and often undocumented, patients are overwhelming Brazilian emergency rooms as they turn up by the thousands. The overcrowded morgue is just one example of how an unprecedented immigration wave from Venezuela is straining Brazil’s healthcare system. Roraima General admitted 100 patients from Venezuela in September, 2016. By December, that number had doubled. To deal with the influx of patients, the hospital has transformed waiting rooms into patient wards, cramming in as many beds it can. But demand is so high that patients strapped to IVs lay in beds that spill out into the corridors. 40% of total patients in hospitals of northern states of Brazil along with Venezuela border are Venezuelans. Brazilian hospitals end up caring not just for the Venezuelan patients but also for their families, who often show up with no place to stay or money for food. Families of other hospital patients sometimes take them in, but more often they sleep in chairs in the hospital hallways and rely on government services for meals and showers.

Corruption in healthcare poses main cause of concern for Brazil

GHI Analysis — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 01:11:20 +0000

A latest survey conducted by Datafolha has revealed that every three in 10 Brazilians consider healthcare as their main public concern and 10% listed education as their number one concern. The survey stated that unemployment tied with corruption was the country’s second-most important public concern. With the impending federal spending cap, Brazilians are in for major hits to their public medical and education system, which make up over 80% of the public budget. The federal spending cap might go into effect within the next couple of days due to President Temer’s current rush to pass economic reforms. The budget freeze essentially cuts off additional funds for a steadily growing population. Three-fourths of Brazilians, more than 150 million patients and growing use of the public health system are their only source of medical treatment. Yet, Brazil already records one of the lowest investments in its citizens’ health compared to its Latin American neighbors. While Brazil’s universal healthcare system does provide quality facilities and specialty services, existing resources often fail to meet national demand.

Brazilian medical equipment import market may be affected by disadvantageous US dollar exchange rates

GHI Analysis — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 00:27:11 +0000

Brazil, Russia, India and China, the BRIC countries represent a total medical market of USD 26.8 billion. The economic downturn has affected these geographies varyingly; for instance, the Brazilian medical device import market may be affected by disadvantageous USD exchange rates. Brazil has the largest economy and the medical device market in Latin America, but per capita medical expenditure is still very low. The highest expenditure is in the large cities, such as Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, but producers are moving into regional markets outside the major state capitals. The GDP is forecast to grow at an average of 4.1% in 2018. With a growing economy, if inflation is kept in check, there will be more money available to spend on healthcare, both in the public and private sectors.

Brazil succeeds in reforming access to medical care for all, need to eradicate health disparities

GHI Analysis — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 01:12:28 +0000

Brazil has succeeded in remarkably improving access to medical care for most of its population through a combination of public policies and its Unified Health System. But the nation needs to focus on the eradication of health inequalities. The 2013 Brazilian National Health Survey, which was funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Health, represents that wide inequalities prevail in terms of quality of life by geographic regions, with the worst indicators in the poorest north and northeast regions. For men and women of 20 years of age, estimates of healthy life expectancy (the number of additional years expected to be lived in good health) in the richer south and southeast regions are 6.2 years higher than in the poorer north and northeast, for both women and men. In all, 45% of the Brazilian adult population has at least one non-communicable disease such as diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney failure, with the prevalence being greater among women, individuals over the age of 55 years and people living in the country’s southeastern, southern and central-western regions. Prevalence of diabetes and hypertension increased over 1998-2013 in the country. General prevalence of depression is 7.9%, with 78.8% of them do not receive any treatment, while 14.1% receive only pharmacotherapy.

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Brazilian health industry invests in innovation and quality owing to increased domestic demand for medical devices

GHI Analysis — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 01:10:00 +0000

The utilization of health devices has grown in Brazil by 11.5% over the past six years. Consumption grew 4% last year despite the stagnant economy of country. Modernization of the hospital infrastructure has boosted the volume of medical tourism in Brazil, which is also contributing to the development of the local health devices industry. Brazil is also among the top 10 countries with the highest number of plastic surgeons and certified cosmetic medicine specialists in the world, factoring in the international recognition of the country. According to ABIMO (Brazilian Medical Devices Manufacturers Association) superintendent Paulo Henrique Fraccaro, “We are living in a period of profound transformation, because the growth in demand and changes in the profile of consumption of health devices is driving the sector to mature. We are producing more, with higher quality and lower costs.” Medical devices manufactured in Brazil offer excellent cost benefits with creative and innovative solutions. Brazilian dental products and equipment are considered some of the best in the world. Other exported Brazilian products include neonatal incubators, pediatric heaters, light therapy equipment and electro-surgical equipment.