Santa Catarina Island, public and private maternity hospitals, prenatal registration and the way from the airport: how it works and where to start.
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Florianópolis is the capital of the state of Santa Catarina. The city spreads across an island and the mainland, connected by bridges. The maternity hospitals are in different districts. For a private clinic it makes sense to choose the hospital first and the housing second: the route on the day of the birth depends on it. In SUS the system usually assigns the hospital when you register, and your address often decides it. So the district and the hospital are worth discussing together.
Tap an icon to see what is known about the hospital. The map is approximate, not a navigator: for routes, use a maps app on your phone.
Coastline and coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors (license). The line on the map shows an approximate route along the main roads. It is not a navigator.
HU-UFSC University Hospital
Hospital Universitário Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago (HU-UFSC)
UFSC’s university hospital, SUS only. Obstetric emergencies and births: by referral or by assigned area (18 Centros de Saúde clinics in Florianópolis). Written rules and registration exist for doulas.
Rua Professora Maria Flora Pausewang, s/n, Trindade, Florianópolis – SC, 88036-800
From the airport → Trindade → HU-UFSC
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Hospital Universitário Professor Polydoro Ernani de São Thiago (HU-UFSC)
UFSC’s university hospital, SUS only. Obstetric emergencies and births: by referral or by assigned area (18 Centros de Saúde clinics in Florianópolis). Written rules and registration exist for doulas.
Rua Professora Maria Flora Pausewang, s/n, Trindade, Florianópolis – SC, 88036-800
From the airport → Trindade → HU-UFSC
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Maternidade Carmela Dutra (MCD)
State public maternity hospital, SUS care at no charge to the patient. Santa Catarina’s first public maternity hospital, about 300 births a month. A doula is admitted under the hospital’s rules.
Rua Irmã Benwarda, 208, Centro, Florianópolis – SC, 88015-270
From the airport → Centro → Carmela Dutra
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Hospital Regional de São José Dr. Homero de Miranda Gomes (HRSJ)
State public hospital in São José, a neighboring city in Greater Florianópolis. It has a maternity unit, obstetric emergency care and neonatal intensive care. Check the admission procedure and the rules for doulas.
Rua Adolfo Donato da Silva, s/n, Praia Comprida, São José – SC, 88103-901
From the airport → Praia Comprida (São José) → HR São José
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Private women’s hospital in the Med401 medical complex on SC-401 (opened January 28, 2026). Per the complex’s website: obstetric emergency care, operating rooms and neonatal intensive care. Check the rules for doulas.
Rod. José Carlos Daux, 3780, Saco Grande, Florianópolis – SC, 88032-005
From the airport → Saco Grande (SC-401) → Baía Sul Mulher
Hospital pageOpen on the mapGoogle Maps
Checked: October 3, 2026
Aeroporto Internacional de Florianópolis – Hercílio Luz
The main airport of Santa Catarina state, in the south of the island (Carianos).
Checked: October 3, 2026
Ponte Hercílio Luz
A suspension bridge, the oldest of the three bridges between the island and the mainland part of the city.
Checked: October 3, 2026
Details with sources and the dates checked are collected in the directory. There are no rankings.
For a patient of the public SUS system, birth is at no charge. The hospital sets the admission procedure: some admit by referral or by assigned area (by the address of your clinic, the Centro de Saúde).
The terms and price are set by the contract with the clinic and the medical team. The approach to birth depends largely on the team you choose.
Care in SUS begins at the basic health clinic (UBS; in Florianópolis it is called Centro de Saúde) at your address. There your pregnancy is confirmed (you can take the test right at the UBS) and prenatal care is provided. By law, a pregnant woman in SUS has the right to know in advance which maternity hospital she will be linked to (Lei 11.634/2007). The Ministry of Health advises coming as early as possible, preferably before week 12. The procedure depends on the district and the hospital.
For a private clinic you book directly: through a contract with the clinic and the medical team.
Florianópolis airport (FLN) is in the south of the island, in the Carianos district. It’s worth planning the route to your housing and to the maternity hospital in advance: the map shows an approximate route from the airport.
My assistant arranges the airport meeting and the transfer. Price on request.
Where to live depends on timing, budget and the birth route: for a private clinic, on the hospital you choose; for SUS, on the hospital you are assigned to by address.
My assistant helps find housing and rent a car. Prices on request.
I can’t promise a place in a particular maternity hospital: admission is determined by the hospital and its doctors.
Public maternity hospitals (SUS) do not charge the patient. The hospital where you will give birth is usually assigned by the system, and each has its own admission procedure: at HU-UFSC, under the service charter (2024 edition), a referral or an assigned area is needed; at Carmela Dutra, emergency care runs around the clock, with admission after triage (assessment of urgency). In private clinics the terms and cost are set by the contract with the clinic and the medical team, and the approach to birth depends on the team too.
There is no single “right” option: the choice depends on health, budget and expectations. Katerina accepts any choice a family makes and helps you find out in advance how a particular facility works: whether a doula is allowed, how registration works, what the rules for companions are.
As a rule, no: in SUS the system assigns the maternity hospital. Every pregnant woman has the right to know in advance where she will give birth and where she will be referred in case of complications, and to be linked to that hospital; the link is made when you register for prenatal care, and the hospital must suit your risk level (Lei 11.634/2007, art. 1).
In practice, your address often decides: for example, 18 Centros de Saúde are assigned to HU-UFSC (the list is in the hospital’s 2024 service charter). On the private route, the family chooses the hospital under a contract. Ask at your Centro de Saúde: Em qual maternidade vou ter meu bebê? (“Which maternity hospital will I give birth in?”).
The first prenatal appointment takes place at the UBS, the clinic for your address (in Florianópolis it is called Centro de Saúde). The state maternity hospital Carmela Dutra states that the hospital itself provides prenatal care only for high-risk pregnancies, by referral.
For the maternity hospital, bring a photo ID, your SUS card, your prenatal care card or booklet and test results. This is Carmela Dutra’s list; other facilities may differ. What is accepted from foreigners when issuing a SUS card, check with your UBS: the procedure depends on the municipality.
There is no single timeframe: it depends on how you feel, your doctor’s recommendations, airline rules and your plans. Standby mode is the period when Katerina is reachable and ready to come when labor starts; it usually begins at week 33, and the date is agreed.
How long to stay after the birth is determined by the condition of mother and baby, the queue for an appointment at the Polícia Federal and your goals (only the child’s passport, or a residence permit too). On the first call you can discuss rough guidelines.
Yes. A woman has the right to have an adult companion (acompanhante) of her choice at consultations, examinations and procedures, including birth, in public and private facilities (Lei 8.080/1990, the SUS law, art. 19-J as amended by Lei 14.737/2023; earlier, the right to a companion in labor in SUS was established by Lei 11.108/2005).
In the operating room and intensive care, justified restrictions are possible: then only a companion who is a health professional is allowed. A doula does not replace a companion: it is a separate right.
Important
