Government of Pará consolidates health decentralization strategy with polyclinics
Pioneering units expand the reach of the SUS, with consultations, exams, and therapies, bringing care closer to the population in the interior of Pará
On September 19, the Unified Health System (SUS) celebrates 35 years as Brazil's largest public policy for social inclusion. In Pará, this milestone gains strength with the implementation of five regional Polyclinics, which decentralize care and bring specialized services closer to the population. The project integrates the state government's strategy to expand access to quality care in different regions of the State, based on the pioneering model of the Metropolitan Polyclinic in Belém, delivered in 2020 and already replicated in the municipalities of Capanema, Tucuruí, Bragança, and Marabá.
These government units, linked to the State Department of Public Health (Sespa), offer reception, organization, and efficiency. In this way, they ensure predictability for users and enable the realization of thousands of consultations, exams, and procedures every month, reaffirming the SUS's commitment to providing accessible and quality care.
Just this year, together, the Metropolitan Polyclinic in Belém; the Carajás Polyclinic in Marabá, and the Tucuruí Lake Polyclinic have already guaranteed 704,227 services to the people of Pará.
The State Secretary of Public Health, Ivete Vaz, emphasizes that the Polyclinics are an essential part of a network that consolidates the Unified Health System in Pará. “The SUS is the largest public policy for social inclusion in the country, and in Pará, it strengthens every day with the expansion of Polyclinics. These units bring care closer to the population, organize care flows, and ensure dignified and free access to thousands of people. Our commitment is to continue expanding this network so that all people in Pará have quality health care close to home,” she stated.
The units in Belém, Marabá, and Tucuruí are managed by the Institute of Social and Environmental Health of the Amazon (ISSAA), in partnership with Sespa. This joint action ensures professional management, which maintains the high standard of services and reinforces the SUS's commitment to providing quality and dignified care to the population.
With the macro objective of decentralizing specialized health from the capital to the interior of the State, the Polyclinics have been a game changer regarding SUS care. In the southeast of the State, the Carajás Miguel Chamon Polyclinic in Marabá, inaugurated in April, has already recorded 41,235 services by August.
Access to the service begins at the Basic Health Unit (UBS) of the municipality, continues through the Municipal Regulation Center, and then through the State Regulation System (SER), which defines the referral according to clinical profile.
The unit offers 30 medical and non-medical specialties, medium and high complexity imaging exams, and cardiological and neurological exams. Among the services, the highlight is the Autism Spectrum Disorder Care Center (Natea), which supports children and provides comprehensive support to families, reinforcing the SUS's role in integrating diagnosis and rehabilitation.
Tucuruí:
Marcos Andrade, a musician from Itupiranga, in the Tucuruí Lake region, was attended by a urologist at the Carajás Polyclinic. He emphasizes that the process was simple and quick, from regulation to the appointment with the specialist. For him, the experience brought not only medical care but also warmth and security. “I was impressed with the quality of care and the speed of the flow. The SUS shows that it works when it gets close to us, with respect and care,” he stated.
Hemodialysis increases life expectancy in Tucuruí
One of the standout services among the units in the interior of the State is hemodialysis. At the Tucuruí Lake Polyclinic, nearly 5,600 sessions have already been performed in 2025, alleviating demand in the region and avoiding trips to other cities.
“Today my life has become lighter. Before, I spent 13 hours going back and forth to Marabá for hemodialysis. I arrived exhausted, with no strength to be with my family. Now, with treatment in Tucuruí, I have time and energy to live with dignity,” says Jonas de Sousa Pinto, 30, a motorcycle taxi driver and resident of the municipality.
The Tucuruí Polyclinic serves as a backup for the municipalities around the Lake, and in 2025, it has already totaled 284,556 services by August. The flow is the same: it starts at the UBS, goes through municipal regulation, and continues to the SER, which defines the indicated specialty. At the location, the population finds medical and non-medical consultations, such as psychology, physiotherapy, nutrition, and more complex services like hemodialysis. The Natea is also present, ensuring therapies and continuous support for autistic children, strengthening the state health network.
Belém:
In the capital of Pará, the Metropolitan Polyclinic has established itself as a national reference. In 2025, for the second consecutive year, the unit maintained the ONA Level 1 certification, which assures the population that the institution maintains quality and safety standards for patients, as well as the satisfaction of its employees.
The Polyclinic in Belém is the first outpatient clinic in Northern Brazil within the Unified Health System (SUS) to receive certification, also being a pioneer as the Diagnostic Center of Pará and a reference for the construction of six more units operated in the same model in the State.
From January to August, more than 376,529 services were provided. The high demand is concentrated in specialties such as cardiology, gynecology, dermatology, orthopedics, and neurology, in addition to an extensive routine of laboratory tests, essential for diagnosing chronic diseases.
The unit's differential is the Casulo Project, dedicated to the care of transgender individuals. From January to August 2025, there were 1,907 services with a multiprofessional network, in a space that combines technical care and social support.
Bragança:
In the municipality of Bragança, the Ruth Nobre Bragança Polyclinic was delivered in July 2024, a unit that offers more than 30 medical specialties, in addition to exams and diagnostic procedures of medium and high complexity for the population of Bragança and the Rio Caeté Region.
The Polyclinic was created through an agreement between the Bragança City Hall and the State Department of Public Health of Pará (Sespa), with the aim of strengthening the health network in the region, ensuring access to specialized services and promoting disease prevention.
Capanema:
A reference in medium and high complexity, the Caetés Hospital Complex (CHC) in Capanema reinforces the SUS's commitment to ensuring free and quality care for thousands of users from municipalities in northeastern Pará.
Composed of the Public Regional Hospital of Caetés (HRPC), Francisco de Freitas Filho Polyclinic, and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Care Center (Natea Caetés), the complex ended 2024 with significant advances and continues in 2025 expanding its specialized assistance.
Polyclinic and hemodialysis service
At the Polyclinic, users find about 30 medical specialties, in addition to diagnostic services, physiotherapy, and multiprofessional therapies. One of the highlights is the hemodialysis sector, which has 24 machines and serves an average of 103 patients from 16 municipalities. Only in the first half of 2024, 7,498 sessions were performed, reaching a total of 15,341 hemodialysis sessions in the year. Care is offered in four daily shifts, ensuring continuity of care for chronic renal patients.
From January to December 2024, the CHC totaled more than 680,000 services, including medical consultations, exams, surgeries, and multiprofessional care. During this period, 52,987 medical consultations, 8,652 surgeries, 6,179 emergency and urgent care, in addition to 463,829 exams performed both in the hospital and in the Polyclinic were recorded. In 2025, the goal is to maintain regularity in care and expand the offer of specialized consultations.
Advances in specialized care at Natea Caetés
Another important pillar of the complex is Natea Caetés, a reference in the care of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The center recorded 71,292 services between January and December 2024, a growth of more than 95% compared to the same period in 2023. The service brings together a multiprofessional team composed of psychologists, speech therapists, physical education professionals, nurses, caregivers, occupational therapists, doctors, and social workers, ensuring comprehensive care for children and their families.
In 2025, the center continues with an active agenda, strengthening the follow-up of children and increasing family participation in the therapeutic process.
Text by Roberta Paraense, Bianca Botelho, and Vera Rojas
