Professionals enrolled in “More Doctors” program start working in Brazil’s countryside

Criado em 02/09/13 14h51 e atualizado em 03/09/13 11h02
Por Heloisa Cristaldo Edição:s Fonte:Agência Brasil

Brasília – The doctors who hold Brazilian diplomas and who enrolled in the “More Doctors” program started to work in 454 municipalities on Monday (September 2). The program aims at putting doctors in basic health care units, located in Brazil’s countryside as well as on the outskirts of big cities, with the purpose of serving the population where doctors are lacking.

In this first stage, the program includes 1,096 doctors with Brazilian diplomas. Foreign doctors or Brazilians who hold a foreign degree make up a total of 682 health professionals and are still at the training and evaluation stage, but should start work on September 18. Altogether, 3,511 cities had requested 15,450 professionals.

According to the Ministry of Health, doctors who hold a Brazilian degree were given priority when filling up the positions. The remaining ones were given first to Brazilians who graduated from universities abroad, and subsequently to foreigners, who are to work with temporary permission, in basic care only, wherever the program sends them.

Apart from the new professionals hired, the government will invest US$ 6.320 billion in expanding and improving the public health care system all across the country, by 2014. Out of this amount, US$ 3.119 billion have already been allotted to the construction of 818 hospitals, 601 Emergency Service Units and 16,000 basic units.

Editors: Denise Griesinger / Nira Foster
Translators: Fabrício Ferreira / Allen Bennett