By Brazil Stock Guide – Unimed do Brasil said on Friday (March 27) that it has expanded its healthcare network for Unimed Ferj beneficiaries in Rio de Janeiro after signing a partnership with Grupo Assim Saúde, adding six hospitals to its coverage starting April 1.
The move comes just days after Brazil’s National Supplementary Health Agency (ANS) demanded concrete measures to normalize care, amid an operational crisis that has already passed through multiple structures within the Unimed system. The regulator has threatened to impose sanctions on the operator.
The expansion includes the Santa Cruz, São Cristóvão, Tijuca, Méier, Memorial Fuad Chidid and São Lucas hospitals, strengthening coverage in the city of Rio de Janeiro and in Duque de Caxias. The reopening of Hospital Unimed Barra complements efforts to rebuild the network, which has been one of the main bottlenecks since the transfer of operations in November 2025.
The current phase of Unimed’s operations in Rio de Janeiro marks a transition from acute crisis to an attempt at normalization under regulatory scrutiny.
Since January, the operator said it has approved more than 583,000 treatment authorizations, reflecting efforts to absorb pent-up demand accumulated during the crisis. The system now includes around 1,100 physicians across 1,215 points of care, alongside partnerships with networks such as Dasa, Américas and Oncoclínicas, covering diagnostics, oncology and telehealth services.
The operator also said that one of the regulator’s most sensitive indicators — the volume of complaints — has fallen by about 35% since Unimed do Brasil took over the operation in January. Even so, the company acknowledges ongoing care-related weaknesses and continues to rely on network expansion as its main stabilization strategy.
Structural crisis
The Unimed Ferj portfolio, with more than 300,000 beneficiaries, has become a flagship case in Brazil’s private healthcare sector. Originating from the collapse of Unimed-Rio, the operation has passed through multiple structures without a definitive rebalancing, raising questions about the model’s economic sustainability. Issues such as outdated provider networks, delays in authorizations and access constraints have persisted even after the transition.