Brazil launches R$500 million home‑care program for elderly (Padi Brasil)

On 18 May, Brazil's Ministry of Health announced the launch of the Programa de Atenção Domiciliar à Pessoa Idosa (Padi Brasil). The initiative earmarks R$500 million in federal funding—R$163.2 million for 2026 and R$329.3 million for 2027—to create and expand multiprofessional teams that will provide home visits for elderly people with functional limitations.

Municipalities can request new teams or expand existing ones; so far 2,733 municipalities have applied, requesting a total of 3,677 teams. Each team may receive a monthly increment of up to R$10 000, raising the total monthly financing per team to up to R$57.5 000, depending on the chosen model (Ampliada, Complementar or Estratégica). The teams will include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers and other specialists, allowing local health authorities to assemble the composition that best fits community needs.

The program targets roughly 3 million bedridden seniors, 80 % of whom rely exclusively on the public Unified Health System (SUS). It complements existing initiatives such as Farmácia Popular and the Mais Especialistas program. During the launch ceremony the ministry paid tribute to physician‑lawyer Guilhermina Maria Galvão Siqueira Gomes, whose pioneering home‑care project in the 1990s inspired the national program.