Priority for public health

Last week, the National Congress enacted the Constitutional Amendment that is fundamental to expanding medical assistance. It will allow military doctors, around 3,500 permanent personnel, in addition to another 3,000 temporary personnel, to hold another public position in the civilian sector.

The new possibility will increase the number of medical appointments. Obviously, the current amendment does not intend to solve all the medical care shortages in the country. It is undeniable, however, that it could represent a relief for many Brazilians to have access to more medical professionals.

Especially those who live in border areas, and in indigenous communities and peripheral regions of large urban centers, where there is a shortage of health professionals.

Another advantage of the amendment is the possibility of curbing the escalating number of military doctors leaving their posts, precisely because they cannot combine their duties in the Armed Forces with those they can perform in civil society.

In this way, it allows healthcare professionals in the Army, Navy, and Air Force to increase their remuneration without compromising their ordinary duties within their respective branches of the Armed Forces.

Another benefit of enacting Constitutional Amendment 77 is that it could have repercussions in states that impose the same restrictions on healthcare professionals affiliated with the Military Police and the Fire Department.

The Constitutional Amendment for the health sector has become a reality, and this right should also be extended to education professionals who also come from the military.

In the past, specifically for healthcare, we approved over R$ 106 billion in the budget, the regulation of the medical profession, 25% of oil royalties for healthcare, breast reconstruction treatment through the Unified Health System (SUS), home-based cancer treatment paid for by health insurance plans, in addition to the federal government's "More Doctors" program. This demonstrates that Parliament is prioritizing social demands.