FEDERAÇÃO ESTADUAL DAS COOPERATIVAS MÉDICAS (FESP)

Who we are

Unimed is a cooperative created with the objective of providing a decent medical care alternative for the Brazilian population, in addition to creating a work system that values ​​the efforts of professionals and is exclusively dedicated to customer satisfaction. With this objective, the cooperative system was adopted.

In December 1967, in Santos (SP), the first Unimed was born. And with it came the Medical Work Cooperative, an unprecedented modality in Brazil and in the world. At the time, in the midst of the military dictatorship, the attitude of those 30 pioneering doctors was bold and courageous, since it highlighted the problems of the public health system (INPS) and faced the group medicine companies, which worked for profit, not for health. .

Using a model of administration in which doctors themselves manage the services provided, without intermediaries, the population soon realized the advantages and quality of care, legitimizing Unimed and enabling the system to develop in other cities.

Thereafter, in a few months, several Unimeds were inaugurated and, 10 years after the first cooperative, there were already 60 across the country. Federations and Confederations also appeared, to standardize operational procedures and encourage the exchange of experiences between Unimeds. Currently, Unimed is the largest healthcare operator in Brazil, with 360 cooperatives and present in 83% of the national territory.