THE COLOR OF HEALTH IN BRAZIL: INSTITUTIONAL RACISM IN THE UNIFIED HEALTH SYSTEM AND THE TRAINING OF NURSES

Abstract

Institutional racism operates systemically within the Unified Health System (SUS) through organizational norms and dynamics that disadvantage ethno-racial groups, directly influencing professional conduct and clinical decisions. This study aims to conduct a critical analysis of these manifestations and discuss pedagogical strategies in undergraduate nursing education to address prejudice in public health. The methodology consists of a qualitative and descriptive reflection article based on content analysis. Due to the scarcity of robust literature published over the last 5 years intersecting racism and nursing education, the bibliographic search was extended to the last 20 years, recovering the evolution of essential theoretical and regulatory frameworks. The results point to lethal outcomes in healthcare. Epidemiological data reflect glaring disparities in hospital morbidity between white and Black populations. This inequality worsens in obstetric care, exposing Black women to obstetric violence, negligence, and the underestimation of pain. There is also evident stigma in the management of sickle cell anemia. This panorama is perpetuated by an academic education anchored in Eurocentric paradigms that adopts the “white body” as a universal standard, producing graduates unable to recognize clinical signs in Black skin. It is concluded that nursing, as the largest workforce and the frontline of the healthcare network, is a fundamental agent in combating this scenario.