To address these challenges, the Project proposes the development of a smart hospital – the first of its kind within Brazil’s public healthcare system. This advanced, scalable, and integrated facility will specialize in emergency medicine, intensive care, and neurology. Successful implementation of this pilot project will serve as a model for nationwide replication and technology transfer, significantly strengthening Brazil’s capacity to deliver high-quality, technology-driven healthcare. The hospital will be built within the premises of one of the oldest and largest academic hospitals in the country, the University of São Paulo’s Hospital das Clínicas.

The Project envisages a new 120,000 sq. m facility that will include emergency care units, intensive care units, regular wards, emergency care chairs, operating rooms and outpatient consulting rooms, equipped with digital systems enabling telemedicine services, artificial intelligence based scheduling, electronic health records, clinical decision support, hospital command centre, and a national centre for translational research and innovation. The hospital will be built in line with global green standards.

Upon completion the Project will provide treatment of emergency and intensive care patients, neurology and neurosurgery inpatients and neurology outpatient consultations. The Project also envisages training programs for healthcare professionals on the use of advanced digital technologies.

The Ministry of Health of Brazil will serve as the Project Entity, responsible for overall planning and implementation of the Project. It will appoint a social organization to implement the Project, which will act as the project implementing unit.

The implementation period of the Project is four years from 2026 to 2029.

The Project has been categorized as Category B in accordance with the NDB Environment and Social Framework (NDB ESF). The Project presents moderate, site-specific environmental and social risks during pre-construction and construction stages, primarily associated with the demolition of 1940s-era buildings that may contain hazardous materials. Additional risks include dust, noise, and vibration affecting nearby communities and cultural heritage buildings, traffic congestion and restricted emergency access in a dense urban setting, and the relocation of government staff currently occupying the buildings to be demolished without a finalized relocation plan. Operational risks include biomedical waste handling, wastewater and effluent management, occupational health and safety, and data protection and cybersecurity. These risks will be managed through management plans outlined in the Environmental and Social Impact Management Plan devised by NDB, ensuring alignment with national regulations and the NDB ESF.

The Project will be financed through loan from NDB and counterpart funding from Government of Brazil (GoB) and Government of the State of São Paulo (GoSP).