The Federal Government and the New Development Bank (NDB), also known as the BRICS Bank, signed the R$ 1.7 billion financing contract on January 7, for the construction of the Technological Institute of Smart Medicine (ITMI). The unit will be built at the Hospital das Clínicas (HC) complex in São Paulo and will be the country’s first public smart hospital, focused on high complexity and the digital transformation of healthcare.
The signing ceremony, held at the Planalto Palace, was attended by the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and USP President Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior. Also present were the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, NDB President Dilma Rousseff, and professor Ludhmila Hajjar, from USP’s Medical School (FM), who is coordinating the implementation of the new hospital.
The ITMI project involves the use of artificial intelligence, telemedicine, and 5G connectivity to optimize diagnoses and patient monitoring. With 800 beds and a focus on urgency, emergency, and neurology, the unit was designed to reduce waiting times for specialized care and serve as a model for the Unified Health System (SUS). In addition to the contribution from the BRICS Bank, the plan includes additional resources from the Ministry of Health and the state government, which will also donate the land for the building.
For USP, the new structure will function as a hub for translational research and innovation. The environment will allow researchers and students to develop and validate clinical algorithms and new medical devices in a real-world healthcare setting. The unit will also play a strategic role in the supervision of a national network of smart Intensive Care Units (ICUs) that will be implemented in all regions of Brazil.
English version: Translated and edited by Denis Pacheco
