HISTORY OF SANITATION IN BRAZIL: ACHIEVEMENTS AND CHALLENGES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The objective of this study is to examine the evolution of public health in Brazil, its achievements throughout the 20th century, and the challenges faced by public health in the 21st century. The research is justified by the relevance of public health in the development of public health policies and the need to understand how these advances influence the current scenario. The study uses a narrative literature review, with data collected from databases such as SciELO and Google Scholar, covering recent publications on the subject. The results indicate that, although the SUS has promoted significant advances in equity of access to health, structural challenges such as underfunding and regional inequalities persist. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted both the importance of the SUS and its weaknesses, highlighting the need to reformulate and modernize the system. It is concluded that it is essential to strengthen the financing and management of the SUS, integrating technological innovations and sustainable strategies to face future health crises and the impacts of climate change. These findings contribute to the debate on the future of the SUS and public health in Brazil, offering support for the formulation of more effective policies.