Brazil Allows 1,800 Cubans to Reenter Mais Médicos Program

Country will extend the contracts of professionals for two more years

Brasília

The federal government put out an application on Thursday (26) to readmit 1,800 Cubans who stayed in Brazil after the breach of contracts between Cuba and Pan American Health Organization in 2018.

The document, published in a special edition of the Official Gazette of this Thursday, extends the contracts of professionals for another two years.

Brazil allows 1,800 Cubans to reenter Mais Médicos program - Opas (Organização Pan-Americana de Saúde)

This was already a foreseen government move since Brazil's Doctors Law was approved. This new program will gradually replace Mais Médicos.

In practice, the readmittance of Cuban Doctors should breathe new life into Mais Médicos at a time when the number of professionals in the program is falling.

Of the 18,240 original vacancies, there are only 13,845 have doctors working today. The rest are suspended or waiting to be replaced. In comparison, in November 2018, the program had 15,002 doctors working. In January, that number decreased to 14,298 and now to 13,845.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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