A expansão de escolas médicas e o Programa Mais Médicos

The Mais Medicos Program, launched in 2013 by the Federal Government, was challenged to increase the number of positions and subsequently increase the number of graduating physicians in Brazil. The country until then, despite the legal mandate to increase the training of physicians by the Sistema Unico de Saude, did not have a policy to actually increase the number of physicians in the country. Adequate numbers of healthcare providers, especially physicians, is a challenge for most nations, as the greatest concentration of professionals tends to occur in the largest cities, causing a shortage of professionals in rural areas. Objective: to analyze the public policy of the Mais Medicos Program, focusing on the expansion of medical schools and consequently increase the number of positions of students in medical school. Methodology: analysis of public policy using official data such as notices from the Ministry of Education and evaluation of legislation to expand the number of medical students. We also analyzed the repercussion of such policies in the media and the related areas and considering important parts of medical organizations and managers Results: The Mais Medicos Program stimulated the creation of 14.000 new medical student positions in the country between the years 2013 and 2018. There was especially a marked increase in under-served, rural areas. The program also stimulated integration of academic and clinical medicine, with the goal of improving the quality of the health system. Many medical organizations were against the expansion of the number of medical students, claiming the policy to be uncontrolled and without objective criteria. On the other hand, managers and public health officials pointed to the need to expand the number of medical students to overcome the shortage of doctors. Conclusion: The expansion of medical schools favored the private sector which obtained most of the new positions authorized. It is also important to emphasize that the change of government represented a disruption in the established policy, which prevents the full analysis of its results. Despite the expansion of undergraduate medical positions, it can be said that it was important as it included mainly the private school system. More than 70% of the increased positions were offered at private universities. It is necessary to overcome the shortage of health care professionals without degrading professional training, so that we can guarantee access to health for the entire Brazilian population.