Health Care Journals

Brazil, a vast South American country, stretches from the Amazon Basin in the north to vineyards and massive Iguaçu Falls in the south. Rio de Janeiro, symbolized by its 38m Christ the Redeemer statue atop Mt. Corcovado, is famed for its busy Copacabana and Ipanema beaches as well as its enormous, raucous Carnival festival, featuring parade floats, flamboyant costumes and samba.

Brazil is something of an all-year round destination with temperatures rarely dip below 20°C (68°F), apart from in the mountains and southern regions. The climate varies from hot and dry in the arid interior to humid and sticky in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon jungle. The highest point in Brazil is Pico da Neblina at 2,994 m (9,823 ft). Brazil is bordered by the countries of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, and France (overseas department of France, French Guiana).Much of the climate is tropical, with the south being relatively temperate.

Brazil has the world's seventh largest economy by nominal GDP, and the seventh largest by purchasing power parity. The Brazilian economy is characterized by moderately free markets and an inward-oriented economy.

According to the Brazilian Government, the most serious health problems are: Childhood mortality: about 2.51% of childhood mortality, reaching 3.77% in the northeast region. Motherhood mortality: about 73.1 deaths per 100,000 born children in 2002. Mortality by non-transmissible illness: 151.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by heart and circulatory diseases, along with 72.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants caused by cancer. Mortality caused by external causes (transportation, violence and suicide): 71.7 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants (14.9% of all deaths in the country), reaching 82.3 deaths in the southeast region. Overall, the Brazilian health system is made up of a complex network of complementary and competitive service providers and purchasers, forming a public–private mix that is financed mainly by private funds. The researchers found vastly increased access to health care for a substantial proportion of the Brazilian population.