Lula during her visit to Boa Vista, one of the regions hardest hit by the health crisis. Author: AFP
BRAZIL, 20 March. — President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday unveiled the More Health for Brazil, formerly More Doctors, plan to initially open 15,000 specialist jobs and prioritize extreme poverty.
The new version intends to expand the number of vacancies to 28,000 professionals by the end of 2023 and prioritize the 96 million people in the Primary Health Care System (SUS), while also focusing on traditional communities, according to Prensa Latina.
At the presentation ceremony, Lula described Más Médicos, created in 2013 under the administration of Dilma Rousseff (2010–2016), as an exceptional success, more than now “returning very strong”.
He recalled that this project took six percent of the primary health care in the South American giant, and 63 million Brazilians received its services.
He thanked everyone who was involved in this plan in one way or another, especially the Cuban specialists who worked in places where there had never been a doctor.
He gave his word that now properly trained domestic doctors will be a priority, but if foreigners are needed, they will be contacted, because it is not the nationality of the doctor that matters, but the nationality of the Brazilian patient.
For Lula, the most precious thing there is a human life, and health and education cannot be considered as expenses. The new project requires an investment of 712 million reais (about $136 million).
Currently, there are 18,000 jobs in the healthcare system: 13,000 specialists are working and 5,000 vacancies are available.
The Ministry of Health has indicated that it will expedite the recruitment of specialists for indigenous areas.
Source: Juventud Rebelde
