Brazil announces its new Mais Médicos para o Brazil program

Today, Brazil’s federal government announced the resumption of its Mais Médicos program – now called Mais Médicos para o Brasil [or More Doctors for Brazil]. The program is opening up 15,000 new vacancies for physicians and was launched at an 11-AM event attended by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at Brasilia’s Planalto Palace.

The government’s intention is to secure around 28,000 professionals across the country by the end of the year, mainly in areas of extreme poverty. In this way, 96 million Brazilian people will be guaranteed medical care in primary care, the gateway to the country’s Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde/SUS). Operating in basic health units, this first service monitors populational health, as well as harm prevention and reduction.

Of the total number of new vacancies for 2023, 5,000 will be offered by a public notice this month. The other 10,000 vacancies will be offered in a way that foresees returns from municipalities. This type of hiring process ensures lower costs to municipalities; makes replacing professionals more agile; and offers them better conditions to remain in those locations. The government is going to invest BRL 712 million in the program this year.

Mais Médicos para o Brasil public notices are open to Brazilian professionals and exchange students; to Brazilian professionals who were trained abroad or to foreigners (who will continue to work under the Ministry of Health Registration/Registro do Ministério da Saúde/RMS). Brazilian physicians trained in Brazil have preference in the selection.

INCENTIVES – One of the challenges in offering care in regions that are hard to reach is retention of professionals. A survey carried out by Brazil’s Ministry of Health revealed that 41% of program participants drop out in search of training and qualification.

To reduce this turnover and ensure continuity of care, Mais Médicos para o Brasil offers opportunities for further education and training. A doctor participating in the program will be able to carry out a Specialization and a Master’s degree in up to four years. Physicians will also receive benefits that are proportional to the grant’s monthly value to work in city outskirts and remote regions of Brazil.

To support hiring of women doctors, compensation will also be offered up to the same value of the grant during the six months of maternity leave, complementing the Brazilian Social Security Institution (Instituto Nacional do Seguro Social/INSS) aid. For program participants who become parents, 20-day maintenance leave will be guaranteed.

Mais Médicos also wants to draw in physicians who were trained through government support. Participants who benefited from Brazil's Higher Education Student Fund program (Financiamento ao Estudante do Ensino Superior/FIES) may receive incentives to help pay off their debt.

Another challenge is expanding the training of family and community physicians – the ones who work in basic health units. Approved physicians who complete the residency program in remote areas will also receive incentives from the Ministry of Health – including FIES professionals.

HISTORY – Created in 2013 during the government of President Dilma Rousseff, Mais Médicos was an important and unprecedented initiative to provide physicians across Brazil. Over the past four years, however, the program suffered from a lack of incentives. 2022 was the year most lacking in professional healthcare in Brazilian municipalities since the beginning of the historical series.