First, a warning that protects you: care through this program is entirely free, including transport when needed. No one calls charging a fee, “fast-tracking” or paid registration in the name of the SUS. If someone charges you, it is a scam.
That said: since 2025, SUS patients have been treated in private hospitals and clinics, free of charge, through the federal program “Agora Tem Especialistas” (“Now There Are Specialists”), created to cut waiting times for specialist consultations, exams and surgeries. It became law (Law 15.233/2025) and is a declared government priority for 2026. This guide explains how it works from the point of view of someone in the queue.
What the program is
The federal government now contracts spare capacity from the private network, hospitals, clinics and even health insurers, to treat SUS patients, alongside mobile units (trucks equipped for ophthalmology, women’s health and imaging) and telehealth for regions without specialists. The first stage prioritizes six fields, chosen because they clog the queues the most: ophthalmology, orthopedics, cardiology, otorhinolaryngology, gynecology and oncology.
How you get in: no one signs up
Here is the point that causes the most confusion: there is no counter, website or separate queue for the program. Access is through the normal SUS “regulation” system, the same one described in our complete guide on how to use the SUS:
- You are seen at your UBS (neighborhood clinic) and receive a referral to the specialist;
- the referral enters the city or state regulation system;
- when your turn comes, the appointment may be scheduled either in the public network or in a contracted private unit, a program truck or a teleconsultation, at no cost difference to you;
- the notice comes through the Meu SUS Digital app, by phone, SMS or WhatsApp from the health department, or through a community health agent. Keep your phone number up to date at the UBS: it is the most trivial reason people lose their slot.
In practice, then, “getting into the program” means doing the ordinary path well: an up-to-date UBS registration, a referral actually entered into regulation (ask for proof), a current phone number and the app installed.
And if the queue is still stuck?
The program expands supply, but it does not eliminate waiting everywhere, and waiting has limits. When the delay threatens your health, especially in oncology, which has a legal deadline to start treatment, there is a judicial route. The context is in our complete guide 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).