Perspectives of foreign university students on healthcare services used in Brazil

Objective: The aim of this study was to get to know the perspective of foreign students from Portuguese-speaking countries on Brazil’s healthcare services. Methodology: This is a mixed study, with a descriptive and exploratory approach, conducted in the city of Redenção-CE, at a Brazilian federal public international university. Results: A total of 152 foreign university students living in Brazil participated in the study. The participants were essentially male (65.8%), mostly within the 20–24 year age group (63.1%). In all, 60.5% of the participants never used private healthcare services in Brazil. In the public health system (SUS – Sistema Único de Saúde), the most commonly used service was medical consultation (89.0%). A substantial portion of respondents (83.1%) reported being satisfied with the public healthcare services used in Brazil. In most of the reports received, evaluation of the SUS was positive compared to healthcare services in the country of origin. Conclusion: More than half of the students did not use private health services in Brazil. Substantial portions of the interviewees were satisfied with health services provided through the SUS, although the students reported points to be improved in the system.