healthcare is a proud national institution in brazil, where it is universally offered to all, free of charge.

thus, everybody in rio de janeiro, whether they be residents or tourists, have access to a range of medical services, including medical consultation, and hospital treatment, which enables access to the city's emergency rooms.

however, the standards of the facilities vary greatly, depending on the form of healthcare that the patients are permitted, as the medical infrastructure of the county is predominantly split into two sectors: the government health services, and the private medical services.

whilst the private health facilities of rio de janeiro have a reputation for being of high-quality, the public sector suffer the opposite stigma, due to perceived underfunding and long waiting times.