STRENGTHENING UNIVERSAL HEALTH SYSTEMS THROUGH MULTIPROFESSIONAL TRAINING: LESSONS FROM THE LARGEST MULTIPROFESSIONAL RESIDENCY PROGRAM IN BRAZIL
1
2 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
2
3 Gerência de Residência Multiprofissional, Escola de Saúde Pública do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
3
1 Universidade da Coruña, Coruña, Spain
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4 Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1117
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The sustainability of universal health systems depends on the large-scale training and qualification of the workforce, especially in contexts of territorial inequality. In Brazil, the Unified Health System (SUS) demands training models that articulate comprehensiveness, regionalization, and interprofessionalism. This study reports on the experience of Multiprofessional Health Residency Programs at the Ceará School of Public Health (RESMULTI-ESP/CE) as a strategy for strengthening a universal health system, emphasizing scale and decentralization.
METHODS:
This descriptive and reflective experience report analyzes the documentary analysis and systematization of the RESMULTI-ESP/CE training program. The residency program was established in 2013 and was decentralized across 10 municipalities. It was consolidated in 2025 as the largest multiprofessional health residency initiative in Brazil. Currently, it is developed in partnership with 30 municipalities and 20 hospitals and distributed across Ceará’s five macro health regions. It offers 24 specialties, 15 of which are hospital-based and 9 community-based.
RESULTS:
The residency program has broad territorial reach and diverse training, integrating hospital care, community care, health surveillance, public health, and emerging areas such as digital health and health and sports. This configuration favors decentralized training, strengthens regional care networks, and fosters the development of interprofessional skills aligned with SUS actual needs. The program’s scale and continuity reveals its consolidation as a structuring public policy for qualifying the health workforce, whether in care or health management.
CONCLUSIONS:
The RESMULTI-ESP/CE experience shows that large-scale multiprofessional residencies, along with systematic and longitudinal investments, constitute powerful strategies for strengthening universal health systems. By articulating decentralized training, comprehensive care, and diverse settings, the programs contribute to the sustainability of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and offer relevant lessons for countries facing similar challenges in organizing their health workforce.
The sustainability of universal health systems depends on the large-scale training and qualification of the workforce, especially in contexts of territorial inequality. In Brazil, the Unified Health System (SUS) demands training models that articulate comprehensiveness, regionalization, and interprofessionalism. This study reports on the experience of Multiprofessional Health Residency Programs at the Ceará School of Public Health (RESMULTI-ESP/CE) as a strategy for strengthening a universal health system, emphasizing scale and decentralization.
METHODS:
This descriptive and reflective experience report analyzes the documentary analysis and systematization of the RESMULTI-ESP/CE training program. The residency program was established in 2013 and was decentralized across 10 municipalities. It was consolidated in 2025 as the largest multiprofessional health residency initiative in Brazil. Currently, it is developed in partnership with 30 municipalities and 20 hospitals and distributed across Ceará’s five macro health regions. It offers 24 specialties, 15 of which are hospital-based and 9 community-based.
RESULTS:
The residency program has broad territorial reach and diverse training, integrating hospital care, community care, health surveillance, public health, and emerging areas such as digital health and health and sports. This configuration favors decentralized training, strengthens regional care networks, and fosters the development of interprofessional skills aligned with SUS actual needs. The program’s scale and continuity reveals its consolidation as a structuring public policy for qualifying the health workforce, whether in care or health management.
CONCLUSIONS:
The RESMULTI-ESP/CE experience shows that large-scale multiprofessional residencies, along with systematic and longitudinal investments, constitute powerful strategies for strengthening universal health systems. By articulating decentralized training, comprehensive care, and diverse settings, the programs contribute to the sustainability of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) and offer relevant lessons for countries facing similar challenges in organizing their health workforce.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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