Radiology in Brazil

Brazil is the 7th largest economy in the world, and the largest country in South America in both area and population.

Brazil has a public healthcare system, funded by the government, called SUS (Sistema Único de Saúde – Unified Health System), which supplies healthcare to most of the population, and a private system, funded by private health insurance and businessmen. SUS was created in 1988 by the Brazilian Constitution. It is considered inadequate and lacking in quality, but is improving. There is a range of private health insurance in Brazil, which people can buy individually or companies might provide to their employees. 80% of the population rely on public healthcare. Thepublic system is accessible even for people who have private health insurance. About 40 million people have private health insurance in Brazil. The private sector accounts for almost half of healthcare spending. Of the 6,500 hospitals available to the Unified Health System, 48% are in the private sector.

Radiology teaching began in Brazil in 1916 and in 1932 the first university chair of the country in Radiology was founded.

CBR

The Brazilian College of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging (CBR) was founded in 1948 at the 1st Brazilian Conference of Radiology, held at the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo. The CBR is affiliated to the Brazilian Medical Association. CBR has 27 affiliated regional associations, and approximately 10,500 radiologists are members.

The aims and missions of the Brazilian College of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging (CBR) are: to disseminate scientific knowledge, to defend its associates, to stimulate professional improvement, to congregate and to direct its affiliate associations and to sustain the principles and the excellence of methods and procedures of diagnostic imaging and therapy.

In search of quality in service, since 1991 the CBR has developed training programmes in mammography, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance. Each consists of a National Quality standard that after a series of assessments and surveys, grants the Seal of Quality in the specific area and the Certificate of Qualification from the CBR.

Since 2000 the CBR has been authorised by the Ministry of Education (MEC) for accrediting residency programmes, and applying the tests for granting Specialist and Certificate of Practice Areas. Today this title is respected in the medical field, and to get it professionals must demonstrate their theoretical and practical knowledge, enabling a level of increasing excellence in radiology in Brazil.

The CBR organizes three events per year:

Brazilian Congress of Radiology;

Ebraus course (Brazilian Meeting of Ultrasound);

ESOR course, a partnership between the CBR and the European School of Radiology (ESOR).

The CBR has two publications:

Boletim CBR, an informative magazine sent to CBR associates every month;

Radiology Brasileira Radiology), a scientific publication sent to CBR associates every two months.

Sao Paolo Radiological Society

The Radiological and Diagnostic Imaging Society of São Paulo (SPR) is one of the affiliated regional societies of the CBR. The society was founded in 1968 and in 2013 has 3,000 members working in all areas of radiology: ultrasound, computed tomography, MRI, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy.

SPR publishes the monthly Jornal da Imagem, the scientific publication, Revista da Imagem and its website www.spr.org.br. It has a video library with over 1,200 DVDs and an iPad app, which includes an events calendar, lectures, videos and publications, SPR welcomes international collaboration in order to develop and enhance contact between Brazilian radiologists and professionals from various regions of the world. Its scientific meetings have included collaborations with France, Italy, Chile, the International Society of Radiology and most recently with the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology.

The SPR holds annually the Jornada Paulista de Radiologia (JPR), which attracts more than 12,000 people from Brazil and beyond.