Health Minister Wants to Attract Doctors from Spain and Portugal

05/14/2013 - 08h08

The Health Minister, Alexandre Padilha, said yesterday that importing foreign doctors cannot be a "taboo" and that the government's priority will be to attract professionals from Spain and Portugal to fill the gap in the interior of the country and on the periphery of large cities.

The Minister's statement comes after the controversy with medical organizations protesting against a possible agreement between the governments of Brazil and Cuba, headed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to bring 6,000 doctors to the country.

Padilla said his "big focus" will be to make exchanges with the two European countries, which have a large number of skilled and unemployed professionals due to the economic crisis.

The minister dismissed the hiring of doctors from countries with less than 1.8 doctors per thousand population - Brazilian index - like Bolivia and Paraguay.

He also dismissed the possibility of an automatic validation of foreign diplomas.

Translated by DAVE WOLIN

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