Where a Woof and a Smile Work Wonders

Brazil's pioneering hospitals allow surgical patients to have relatives stay with them and even welcome pet dogs.

Delivery of Brazil's government-funded healthcare system is hampered by the disparity between rich and poor, the vastness of the country and underfunding. As a consequence, a parallel system of private healthcare serves a quarter of the 200 million population, with public and private patients often treated in the same hospitals.

One of the country's largest and most successful healthcare service providers in this network is Central Nacional Unimed, a cooperative set up ten years ago that now has 106,000 medical practitioners serving 15 million people.

Another notable provider, Hospital Samaritano of São Paulo, one of the country's oldest medical institutions, first opened its doors in 1890. It's now a member of the National Association of Private Hospitals, a group of 36 hospitals distributed throughout Brazil.

Unimed is represented in 377 cities covering 80%of the country. Of the 377 cooperatives, 82 have their own hospitals.

Dr. Mohamad Akl, the president of Unimed, says one of the service's distinctive qualities is its cooperative status. "The doctor who attends the patient is the owner," says Dr. Akl. "This is the differential of the cooperative system."

Dr. Akl believes that foreign companies arriving in Brazil will need to provide medical insurance for their employees, and this will help the Unimed system expand its client base. Last year, he says, there was growth of 18%. Taking into account the current economic situation, he expects a slower growth of 10%this year but is hoping for more.

Hospital Samaritano's high standard of healthcare is vouchsafed by its accreditation from Joint Commission International, a not for-profit organization whose certification is recognized worldwide.

Samaritano is strong in neurosurgery, orthopedics, intensive care services, cardiology and bionic ear surgery. "We were the first hospital to bring to the private network the cochlear implant that sends electronic impulses from a computer to the brain," says Dr. José Antônio de Lima, Samaritano's director.

The hospital's other assets are its 19thcentury philanthropic traditions, the provision of more nursing staff because nurses are less costly in Brazil than in other countries and, not least, a preparedness to welcome patients' companions.

"Culturally, in Brazil, when you have surgery, a member of your family will be there, sleeping in the room with you," says Dr. Lima. "It is a huge plus. In America you can't do that. In Europe it's very difficult. In Great Britain it's impossible."

Samaritano even has programs that allow patients to have their pet dogs with them. "You know, Brazilians are much more emotional, much more friendly and smiley," Dr. Lima explains. "The whole process of healthcare is completely different and more sympathetic here. The staff wants to hear what your problem is."

Stake Your Claim

An ecological paradise that wants to encourage investment in manufacturing offers free land and tax incentives.

Its name should be as recognizable as the Amazon. It is larger than New Mexico and is the world's largest freshwater wetland, with an unparalleled variety of flora and fauna. Yet beyond environmental enthusiasts, the Pantanal is little known.

André Puccinelli, the governor of Mato Grosso do Sul, the state in which 70% of the Pantanal is located, intends to challenge this ignorance. And, while publicizing the attributes of his state's ecological paradise, he intends to more clearly establish the identity ofMato Grosso do Sul, often confused with its northern neighbor Mato Grosso, from which the federal government separated it in 1979.

"We are starting an international campaign, distributing DVDs, pictures, books and folders of information about our state and the Pantanal through Brazilian embassies around the world," he says.

Governor Puccinelli has a reputation for getting things done. "When I took office in 2007, the state had a monthly revenue of R$350 million [US$153 million] and a deficit of R$30 million [US$12.9 million]," he says. "Now we have a monthly revenue of R$470 million [US$205.4 million] and a surplus of R$40 million [US$17.5 million]."

The state has completed some new infrastructure projects and begun others, and has increased and exceeded its house-building targets, creating work for low-skilled workers.

"We are now the fifth-largest producer of ethanol in the country and by 2015 will be the second largest," says Puccinelli.

The state's economy is based primarily on livestock, grains and forestry. The government is now taking measures to induce investment projects that will add greater value to homegrown resources.

"We produce 10 million tons of grain, 5 million tons of soybeans and more than 3 million tons of corn," says the governor. Yet the state has only one industry based on these products. It also has huge reserves of minerals, but lacks investment in exploration and processing.

"What we need is industrialization to turn iron into final products, process meat and initiate other projects," says Puccinelli. "For such projects the state may give land free of cost."

One of Mato Grosso do Sul's biggest attractions for investment is its land, which it claims is more competitively priced than land anywhere else in Brazil. "And we offer exemption of up to 90% of taxes for initiatives that are lacking in the state," says the governor.

Rebirth of A Supercity

As Brasilia approaches its first half century, the city governor sets out his plans to inject new life into the capital.

Brasilia, the capital of Brazil and an UNESCO World Heritage site, is preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year.

Futuristic at the time of its creation, the city, more formally known as the Federal District, is now undergoing a massive transformation under the direction of its reformist governor, José Roberto Arruda.

The government invested a sumof $436.5 million last year and is spending a further $873.1 million this year. More than a thousand public works have either been completed or are under construction. The city is installing a light rail network at a cost of $550 million and upgrading the road system.

The government is also making improvements to the infrastructure of poorer areas and undertaking projects in the education, health and safety sectors. "We are investing to improve life in the city," says Arruda.

After his appointment in 2007, the new governor imposed a major shakeup of the federal district and its administration. He reduced the number of government departments from 38 to 16, cut staff by half to 8,000 and transferred the administrative headquarters from the city center to Taguatinga, the biggest of the federal district's 18 satellite cities, shaving millions of reals off the federal district's budget in the process.

When Lucio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer created it in the 1950s, Brasilia quickly became an icon of architecture and urban planning. But it was designed in an age before traffic jams and for a population of just a half million. Today, it has a population of 2.5 million, plus several thousand visitors a year from the U.S. alone.

"Our biggest problem is that the city has grown over the last 20 years in an undisciplined manner," says Arruda.

His reforms are reinstituting disciplined growth and attracting investment by reducing and simplifying taxes and creating a favorable environment for enterprise.

At the time of press, the currency conversion rate used was Brazilian reals to U.S. dollars - R$1 = US$0.437. All monetary figures stated are U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. Director: Lucas Montes de Oca; Managing Editor: Beverley Blythe; Editor: Michael Knipe Art Director: Lisa Pampillonia Project Managers: Florence Lilti, Mathew Harris, Samantha Lewis and Jorge Maraima Project Development: Charlotte Saint-Arroman; Commercial Director: Carolina Mateo This special advertising feature was produced by Insight Publications, a division of Impact Media International Ltd. 150 East 55th Street, 7th Floor, NY, NY 10022, USA. Tel: +1 212 751 1900 Fax: +1 212 751 0088 www.insight-publications.com e-mail: publisher@insight-publications.com

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