The inclusion of international migrants in Brazilian healthcare system policies: The case of Haitians in the state of Amazonas

Abstract

A wave of Haitian immigration into Brazil began in February 2010 through three northern border states: Acre, Rondônia, and Amazonas. Focusing on the state of Amazonas, the article uses an ethnographic approach to explore the social networks involved in this immigrant issue and examines how Brazil’s Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS) responded to the demands placed by this unexpected contingent of new users visà- vis the system’s guiding constitutional principles, particularly equity. A picture is painted of some aspects of the most critical immigration period (March 2010-March 2012) and of the public healthcare system’s reception of these Haitian newcomers.