Hospital Foundation of Minas Gerais State

The Hospital Foundation of Minas Gerais State (Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais, FHEMIG) is a state-owned public foundation created by Minas Gerais State Law 7,088 of October 3, 1977. It was formed through the merger of three state health assistance foundations: FEAL (leprosy care), FEAP (psychiatric care), and FEAMUR (emergency medical care). FHEMIG is one of the largest public hospital managers in Brazil and is responsible for providing strategic state and regional secondary and tertiary healthcare services through units integrated into the Unified Health System (SUS). It also participates in formulating, monitoring, and evaluating hospital management policy in line with guidelines set by the Minas Gerais State Health Secretariat (SES-MG). FHEMIG is recognized nationally for excellence in various healthcare services provided to the population of Minas Gerais. It employs more than 12,000 professionals and operates 13 assistance units distributed across Belo Horizonte, the metropolitan region, and the interior of the state. Its units are organized into assistance complexes, including urgency and emergency care (e.g., Hospital João XXIII and Hospital Infantil João Paulo II in Belo Horizonte), reference hospitals (e.g., Hospital Regional Antônio Dias in Patos de Minas, Hospital Regional Dr. João Penido in Juiz de Fora, Hospital Regional de Barbacena Dr. José Américo, Maternidade Odete Valadares, and Hospital Eduardo de Menezes in Belo Horizonte), mental health facilities, general hospitals, MG Transplantes (organ procurement and distribution), and rehabilitation and elderly care homes. The foundation's history is closely tied to the reform of psychiatric care in Minas Gerais. In 1979, the III Minas Gerais Congress of Psychiatry, attended by Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia, strengthened calls to end coercive and violent methods in psychiatric hospitals. This led to the restructuring of medical care and the beginning of psychiatric reform in the state's hospitals. In the 1980s, FHEMIG directors approved the Project for the Restructuring of Public Psychiatric Assistance, starting at the Instituto Raul Soares and spreading to other network hospitals. Over the decades, FHEMIG has expanded its scope to include urgent and emergency care, specialized services, transplantation, and elderly care. Today, FHEMIG is a member of the Brazilian Association of University Hospitals (ABRAHUE) and the Brazilian Association of Medical Schools (ABEM), and it develops 30 medical residency programs accredited by the Ministry of Health and Education, with 325 scholarships distributed across major medical areas. The foundation continues to be a key pillar of public healthcare in Minas Gerais, managing a vast network of hospitals and specialized units that serve the state's population and beyond.

The Hospital Foundation of Minas Gerais State (FHEMIG) was created by Minas Gerais State Law 7,088 of October 3, 1977, through the merger of three state health assistance foundations: the State Foundation for Leprosy Assistance (FEAL), the State Foundation for Emergency Medical Assistance (FEAMUR), and the State Foundation for Psychiatric Assistance (FEAP). This merger aimed to improve coordination among public hospitals in Minas Gerais and enhance care for users of the Unified Health System (SUS). Initially, the medical units under FHEMIG included the Instituto Raul Soares (founded 1922), the Psychopedagogical Center (inaugurated in 1927 as the Child Neuropsychiatry Hospital), the Hospital Galba Velloso (1962), and the Barbacena Psychiatric Hospital Center (founded in 1903 as the Hospital for Assistance to the Insane, renamed Hospital Colônia de Barbacena in 1934). In 1979, the III Minas Gerais Congress of Psychiatry took place, with the participation of psychiatrists, physicians, and journalists. The event marked a turning point: the public demanded an end to coercive and violent methods for restraining psychiatric patients and denounced mistreatment in the network's hospitals. The presence of Italian psychiatrist Franco Basaglia strengthened calls for deinstitutionalization and the implementation of democratic psychiatry. This congress is considered the starting point of the psychiatric reform in Minas Gerais. In the 1980s, FHEMIG directors approved the Project for the Restructuring of Public Psychiatric Assistance, which began at the Instituto Raul Soares and spread to other hospitals in the network. Over the following decades, FHEMIG expanded its scope to include urgent and emergency care, specialized services, organ transplantation, and elderly care. By the 1990s, FHEMIG had gained recognition for its management and teaching activities. In 1996, it became a member of the Brazilian Association of University Hospitals (ABRAHUE) and the Brazilian Association of Medical Schools (ABEM). It also developed 30 medical residency programs accredited by the Ministry of Health and Education, offering 325 scholarships across major medical fields. Today, FHEMIG is one of the largest public hospital managers in Brazil, with more than 12,000 professionals and 13 assistance units across Belo Horizonte, the metropolitan region, and the interior of Minas Gerais. It operates six assistance complexes: urgency and emergency, specialties, mental health, general hospitals, MG Transplantes, and rehabilitation and elderly care. The foundation continues to play a vital role in the state's public health system, providing strategic secondary and tertiary care and participating in the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of hospital management policy in line with the State Health Secretariat (SES-MG).

• 2025

  Decree 49,085/2025 approves the current statute of FHEMIG.

• 2022

  Presidential Ordinance No. 2,161 establishes criteria for classifying the size of FHEMIG units.

• 1996

  FHEMIG becomes a member of ABRAHUE and ABEM.

• 1980

  FHEMIG directors approve the Project for the Restructuring of Public Psychiatric Assistance.

• 1979

  III Minas Gerais Congress of Psychiatry marks the beginning of psychiatric reform in the state.

• 1977

  FHEMIG created by Minas Gerais State Law 7,088, merging FEAL, FEAP, and FEAMUR.

Largest public hospital network in the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS), providing strategic secondary and tertiary care in Minas Gerais.

• Hospital João XXIII

• Hospital Infantil João Paulo II

• Hospital Regional Antônio Dias

• Hospital Regional Dr. João Penido

• Hospital Regional de Barbacena Dr. José Américo

• Maternidade Odete Valadares

• Hospital Eduardo de Menezes

• MG Transplantes

1. 1Início - Período eleitoral - Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais - FHEMIGfhemig.mg.gov.br
2. 2Sobre o órgão - Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais - FHEMIGfhemig.mg.gov.br
3. 3Legislação - Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais - FHEMIGfhemig.mg.gov.br
4. 4Quem é quem - Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais - FHEMIGfhemig.mg.gov.br
5. 5Hospital Foundation of Minas Gerais State - Wikidatawikidata.org
6. 6Fundação Hospitalar do Estado de Minas Gerais - Wikipedia (Portuguese)pt.wikipedia.org