Doctors will hold protests in at least 13 states.
Dissatisfied with the recent measures announced by the federal government related to the medical profession, doctors are again demonstrating this Tuesday, the 16th, in several cities; the group is protesting against Dilma's vetoes of the so-called Medical Act and against Provisional Measure 621/2013, which instituted the More Doctors Program.
Thais Leitão
Reporter from Agência Brasil
Brasilia - Dissatisfied with the recent measures announced by the federal government related to the category, doctors are protesting again this Tuesday (16) in several cities. According to the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), demonstrations should take place in at least 13 states, such as Alagoas, Amapá, Amazonas, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro and Maranhão.
In the Federal District (DF), the gathering is scheduled for 15 pm, in front of the headquarters of the Regional Council of Medicine of the DF. From there, the professionals will march to Congress.
The medical community is protesting against President Dilma Rousseff's vetoes of Bill 268/2002, the so-called Medical Act, which regulates the practice of medicine in the country, and against Provisional Measure 621/2013, which established the More Doctors Program.
Launched last week, the initiative aims to bring professionals to remote municipalities, mainly in the North and Northeast regions, as well as the outskirts of large cities. According to the government, to fill vacancies not occupied by Brazilian doctors, professionals from other countries may be hired.
According to leaders in the medical profession, the Mais Médicos program harms the quality of healthcare and puts the lives of Brazilians at risk. Regarding the Medical Act – sanctioned with vetoes by the president last week – the profession considers it a "new attack on doctors and the country's healthcare system."
Among the sections removed by Dilma is Clause 1 of Article 4, which exclusively assigned the formulation of disease diagnoses to physicians. The medical profession considers this point to be the essence of the law. For other healthcare categories, such as nurses, psychologists, and physiotherapists, who favored the veto, the section represented a setback for healthcare.
In a message sent to doctors, published on the website of the Federal Council of Medicine, national entities linked to the profession, including, in addition to the CFM, the Brazilian Medical Association, the National Association of Resident Physicians, and the National Federation of Physicians, ask that professionals remain mobilized "in favor of common causes." They advise them to maintain good service to the population, "which should in no way be punished for management errors."
Edited by: Talita Cavalcante