Abstract
The debate about the role and scope of the Sistema Único de Saúde Brasileiro (Brazilian Unified Health System) has generated numerous stances and proposals for change, ranging from maintaining the current model, which is universal, to full privatization. This article aims to defend the universal and public health model, with reference to the works of the Italian sanitarist Giovanni Berlinguer. The basis of support for this proposal lies in the fact that health is a collective public good and, therefore, must be managed by this same collective, according to the particular needs. Through a re-reading of Berlinguer’s works , a reference for the Brazilian model, the proposal advances in the discussion about the necessary public health and the connection of this with social stability. To consider such an influence in the context of social welfare means, at the same time, not segregating, not excluding and enabling all people to have a dignified life.
Politics; Unified Health System; Disease