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Senate Project Creates National Public Gyms Program, Provides Free Gym with Financial Support from the Federal Government to Municipalities and Professional Supervision to Reduce Sedentarism and Alleviate Pressure on the SUS
Senator Sérgio Petecão (PSD-AC) introduced the PL 6451/2025, which creates the National Public Gyms Program, providing financial support from the Federal Government to municipalities to install free gyms in cities across the country, focusing on combating sedentarism and alleviating pressure on the Unified Health System.
Program Structure and Federal Support
The project establishes the National Public Gyms Program, referred to as Pronap, with the purpose of financially supporting the creation and maintenance of free collective spaces for physical exercise by the population.
The proposal stipulates that the Federal Government may allocate resources to municipalities to facilitate free gyms, especially in municipalities that lack the budget capacity to implement or maintain such public facilities.
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According to Senator Sérgio Petecão, providing safe and free spaces is a direct strategy to combat sedentarism and obesity, increasing access for people who cannot afford private gyms.
Disease Prevention and Impact on the Health System
For the author of the project, investing in physical activity has a direct impact on public health, reducing the incidence of diseases and the pressure on the Unified Health System, especially in urgent care units.
“They are free spaces because today we have many gyms, but they are gyms that citizens have to pay for,” said Sérgio Petecão, defending the creation of free gyms as a public policy.
The senator emphasized that many municipalities lack the financial means to implement these spaces and that the Federal Government may allocate resources to make the program viable, mainly benefiting older individuals.
Target Audience and Professional Supervision
The Pronap provides for gyms aimed at all ages, always with the supervision of a physical education professional, ensuring proper guidance, safety, and better utilization of the activities offered.
“At the moment that citizen recovers their health, it’s one less patient congesting health units,” said Sérgio Petecão, relating physical exercise to a reduction in demand for medical care.
Partnerships for the Execution of Pronap
To enable the program, the federal government may establish partnerships with states, municipalities, entities of the S System, such as Sesi, civil society organizations, and the private sector, expanding the reach of free gyms.
The project also aims to assist individuals diagnosed with diseases that require physical activity but who cannot comply with medical recommendations due to lack of financial resources.
