CFM: Lack of guarantees undermines 'More Doctors' program

247 - The low number of registrations for the Mais Médicos program, which in its first phase will include 4,6 thousand professionals Despite 18,4 having registered, the result was due to candidates' disappointment with the lack of adequate working conditions and labor rights in the program. This is according to a statement released by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) on Monday night.

In the message, the CFM (Federal Council of Medicine) takes the opportunity to highlight that the initial interest, with 18,4 applicants, demonstrates the category's willingness to work in the Unified Health System (SUS). The entity continues to advocate for the creation of a state career path for physicians working in the SUS as the only way to encourage professionals to fill healthcare gaps.

According to the president of the National Federation of Medicine (Fenam), Geraldo Ferreira Filho, the results of the Mais Médicos program demonstrate a class consciousness among professionals. "There is an awareness within the profession that it cannot be exploited. I think this is firmly rooted in the ideology of Brazilian doctors. And they cannot allow foreign doctors to come and serve as slave labor in Brazil. There is a rejection of that," said Geraldo Ferreira.

Defender

The president of Fenam denied that medical entities had organized themselves to disrupt the program. During the registration period, the Ministry of Health suspected that professionals were registering only to disrupt the process and requested an investigation by the Federal Police. In a report released last Friday (26), the ministry recorded that, of the 18.450 registered, 8.307 presented invalid registration numbers in regional medical councils.

"From the medical association's perspective, there was no encouragement for this. If we were going to boycott, we would tell doctors not to register because we are openly opposing the plan," said Geraldo Ferreira Filho. According to him, as the discussions progressed, the doctors came to better understand the program and concluded that it would not be a good option.

The results of the Mais Médicos program were presented today by the Secretary of Labor Management and Health Education of the Ministry of Health, Mozart Sales, during a public hearing at the National Council of the Public Prosecutor's Office. The event brought together representatives of medical entities such as Fenam and the Federal Council of Medicine, as well as representatives from the Ministries of Health and Education.

With Brazil Agency

Read the CFM's statement in full:

NOTE FROM THE FEDERAL COUNCIL OF MEDICINE

Regarding the assessment of those enrolled in the physician allocation program, created within the scope of Provisional Measure 621/2013, the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) considers that:

The final figures demonstrate the strong interest of Brazilian doctors in working within the Unified Health System (SUS), provided there is some incentive – however minimal – to encourage them to fill these positions.

On the other hand, the data confirms the candidates' disappointment with the proposal when they find a lack of and/or weakness in guarantees of conditions for the practice of medicine (infrastructure, team support or adequate supervision) and the absence of labor rights typical of precarious employment (without a formal contract), such as the lack of FGTS (Brazilian severance pay fund), 13th-month salary or even paid vacation;

Furthermore, one must take into account complaints from numerous candidates who pointed out difficulties in using the registration module (located on the Ministry of Health's website), which certainly prevented many of them from completing the required steps;

Also noteworthy is the schedule established by the Ministry of Health, with deadlines that follow one another without time to correct errors or clarify doubts, and the promise of investments that will probably not be carried out in the short term, suggesting that the contracted doctors will have limited material resources to serve the population;

In short, these facts only reinforce the inconsistency of the program contained in Provisional Measure 621, launched in an improvised manner and without dialogue with important sectors of society.

The Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), along with other medical entities, remains critical of the path adopted by the Government and will continue to act with the Judiciary and the National Congress against this measure, hoping to lead to decisions that will truly end the lack of assistance, such as the creation of a state career path for doctors working in the SUS (Unified Health System), the only way to encourage professionals to fill healthcare gaps, with the possibility of settling there.