Brazil Corrects SUS Registry Error That Declared Living Patient Dead

Overview

• Guelfo de Favari Júnior, 62, learned at a Farmácia Popular counter Wednesday that his SUS record listed him as deceased, blocking access to heart medication.
• He believes the mix-up began in December 2024 when he registered his father’s death, as they share the same full name, which appears to have led to his own CadSUS deactivation.
• He spent days seeking help across several health offices without clear guidance, then filed a police report and said he plans to take legal action.
• Brazil’s Health Ministry and Ribeirão Preto’s health department acknowledged a system error and said his CadSUS entry has been corrected and reactivated.
• CadSUS is the national user registry for the public health system and links to the Farmácia Popular subsidy program, so a wrong death flag can instantly halt chronic treatment and exposes weaknesses in identity matching when names coincide.