Improving Healthcare Equity through Structured Community Navigation in São Paulo
Mozhgan Kouchaki: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mozhgan-hassani-kouchaki-ud
Brighton Zinyakatira: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brighton-zinyakatira-mba-b50b921a?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios
Myriam Bayoumi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myriam-bayoumi-b937603aa?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Leyla Bozan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/l-bozan/
Focused Problem:
Low-income women (15+) living in suburban favelas of São Paulo experience structural inequities in accessing public healthcare system, Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Bureaucratic fragmentation, weak referral coordination, and socio-economic marginalization result in delayed treatment, repeat emergency visits, and reduced trust in institutions.
We propose the creation of a Community-Based Health Navigation Pilot that formalizes partnerships between local NGO’s and Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) —the municipal Basic Health Units. Trained community health navigators will guide women through referral pathways, track appointment completion, reduce no-shows, and connect patients to preventive care. A standardized referral tracking dashboard will improve transparency, coordination, and resource allocation within SUS without requiring major new infrastructure investments.
We recognize that São Paulo’s healthcare challenges are deeply structural and complex, as bureaucratic fragmentation and long-distance travel requirements force women in peripheral districts to navigate a system that assumes resources they simply do not have. Our proposal is not a complete systemic reform, but a pilot intervention designed to test improved coordination within existing institutions. We commit to co-designing implementation with local stakeholders and adapting based on feedback, evidence, and lived realities.
To: Judging Panel, Community Representatives, and SUS Stakeholders