Brazil expands free mental health telemedicine for women

The Brazilian Ministry of Health has expanded its mental health telemedicine services through the ‘Agora Tem Especialistas em Saúde Mental para Mulheres’ program. This initiative provides free psychological care via the Unified Health System (SUS) to women facing specific challenges, including those in situations of violence and caregivers of family members with disabilities, rare diseases, or neurodevelopmental disorders.

The program is designed to assist individuals who face difficulties attending in-person medical appointments. Nationally, the structure has the capacity to perform up to 100,000 tele-consultations per month. For women experiencing violence, the service offers remote psychological support with the possibility of up to 10 sessions, which can be renewed based on clinical need.

To access the service, users must use the ‘Meu SUS Digital’ application via a gov.br account. After selecting the ‘Acolhe Mais +’ option, users are directed to the AgSUS platform to complete a registration. Following registration, a team is expected to make contact within 24 hours to coordinate care.