Why healthcare has become a legal matter in Brazil

Brazil’s 1988 Constitution was lauded for meeting progressive goals, awarding several social rights to minorities. However, in a country with major efficiency problems, it has proved impossible to fully meet these targets. That is particularly the case with public healthcare in Brazil. Although the country approved a law in 1999 to introduce generic drugs into the market, several high-cost medications are still inaccessible to many people. And that’s when the judicial system comes into the equation.

Every year, thousands of citizens sue the government asking it to pay for unaffordable drugs. In 2015 alone, the state of São Paulo spent the equivalent of USD 323 million on such medications, after...