You feel unwell in Brazil, a pain, a fever that will not break, and you do not know where to go. Choosing the right door saves hours of waiting and, in some cases, saves lives. The UBS, the UPA and the hospital emergency room have different jobs, and using each one for what it was made for is the first skill of anyone who knows how to use the system. This is the map, useful whether you live here or are just visiting.
UBS: everyday care and what is not urgent
The Basic Health Unit (UBS), the neighborhood clinic, is the entry point of the SUS and handles most needs: consultations, follow-up of chronic conditions (blood pressure, diabetes), vaccines, prenatal care, repeat prescriptions and referrals to specialists. It is not a place for emergencies, but it is where your health is followed over time, and where everything begins, as detailed in our complete guide on how to use the SUS.
UPA: urgent, but not life-threatening
The Emergency Care Unit (UPA) runs extended hours and handles acute, medium-complexity cases: high fever, cuts, simple fractures, blood-pressure crises, strong pain, symptoms that cannot wait for a UBS appointment but are not an immediate threat to life. The UPA stabilizes you, runs basic exams and, if needed, refers you to a hospital.
Hospital emergency room: life-threatening situations
The hospital emergency room is for the real emergency: chest pain, severe shortness of breath, signs of stroke (drooping face, slurred speech, weakness on one side of the body), heavy bleeding, seizures, serious accidents. In a life-threatening situation, do not waste time choosing: go to the nearest emergency room or call the SAMU.
In an emergency, call 192
The SAMU (192) is the free public ambulance and sends care to you in serious cases, and it will also guide you by phone on where to go. Save the number. And remember: the risk classification at emergency services (the colors, from red to blue) is not order of arrival, it is order of severity, which is why someone who arrived later may be seen first. Care is universal here: being a foreigner does not exclude you from emergency treatment.
Knowing the right door is half the treatment. The rest of the path, from specialist appointments to medication, is in our practical series on how to use the SUS.
About the author
Ramon Martins Andrade (OAB/RJ 188.374) is a lawyer graduated from UFRJ in 2011, holding master’s degrees from the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle and from the Brazilian Naval War College (EGN). He is currently a researcher in Human Rights and Health at ENSP/Fiocruz, where the concept of sanitary return emerged from his research in study groups on the Brazilian diaspora and access to healthcare.
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice, advertising of results, or any guarantee of outcome, under Rule (Provimento) 205/2021 of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).