Public health and communication: impasses facing Brazil?s National Health System in democratic public opinion formation

This article discusses the political re-lations between construction of Brazil???s national health system (SUS) and communication. Under -standing communication as an underdeveloped field of citizens??? rights in Brazil, it proceeds on the hypothesis that the democratic formation of public opinion regarding the SUS is hindered by a media oligopoly in the telecommunication and journalism system. This affects relations between the forces in dispute over construction of the SUS. Drawing on analysis of opinion polls and studies of Brazilian media coverage of the SUS, it argues that communication is a key political determi-nant in building a social base in support of the SUS and overcoming the impasses identified by the literature. It concludes that the relationship among communication, politics and democracy challenges the SUS to dispute the formation of a public health awareness in the daily lives of Bra-zilian citizens, as expressed by Giovanni Berlingu-er to Brazil???s nascent health sector reform move-ment in the 1970s.