Five Years of Transforming Access: Brazil’s Large-Scale Specialty Teleconsultation Program

To combat deep-seated health disparities, Brazil launched one of the Global South's largest teleconsultation initiatives, the TeleAMES project. Over the past five years, this program, led by Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein under the Ministry of Health's PROADI-SUS framework, has become a powerful tool for health equity. It delivered more than 387,526 specialty consultations directly to 401 underserved municipalities across 10 of Brazil's most remote states in the North and Midwest regions. The model was designed to dismantle barriers to access. It significantly reduced the financial and logistical burdens on patients who would otherwise travel long distances for care. The initiative achieved remarkable engagement, with a 96.81-percent appointment occupancy rate and high satisfaction (NPS: 91 for physicians, 85 for patients). This session presents a proven blueprint for leveraging telemedicine to advance health equity in public health systems. We will demonstrate how our model—integrating structured digital workflows, clinical protocols and robust quality control—successfully bridged geographic and social divides. The discussion will share critical lessons on achieving high continuity and equitable coverage despite infrastructure challenges, offering a replicable framework for any nation aiming to reduce structural inequalities and deliver quality healthcare to its most vulnerable populations.