ObjectiveTo evaluate the implementation of a programme to provide primary care physicians for remote and deprived populations in Brazil.MethodsThe Mais Médicos (More Doctors) programme was launched in July 2013 with public calls to recruit physicians for priority areas. Other strategies were to increase primary care infrastructure investments and to provide more places at medical schools. We conducted a quasi-experimental, before-and-after evaluation of the implementation of the programme in 1708 municipalities with populations living in extreme poverty and in remote border areas. We compared physician density, primary care coverage and avoidable hospitalizations in municipalities enrolled (n = 1450) and not enrolled (n = 258) in the programme. Data extracted from health information systems and Ministry of Health publications were analysed.FindingsBy September 2015, 4917 physicians had been added to the 16 524 physicians already in place in municipalities with remote and deprived populations. The number of municipalities with ≥ 1.0 physician per 1000 inhabitants doubled from 163 in 2013 to 348 in 2015. Primary care coverage in enrolled municipalities (based on 3000 inhabitants per primary care team) increased from 77.9% in 2012 to 86.3% in 2015. Avoidable hospitalizations in enrolled municipalities decreased from 44.9% in 2012 to 41.2% in 2015, but remained unchanged in control municipalities. We also documented higher infrastructure investments in enrolled municipalities and an increase in the number of medical school places over the study period.ConclusionOther countries having shortages of physicians could benefit from the lessons of Brazil’s programme towards achieving universal right to health.

Abstract

The provision of health professionals in remote and rural areas is a common problem in the world. The "Mais Médicos" program was created, among other objectives, of diminishing the shortage of doctors and bridge the gap in health inequalities among regions in Brazil. This was a descriptive study on the provision of physicians between 2013 and 2014, using the Ministry of Health official database, analyzing municipalities' profiles according to current norms and regulations. The Project made it possible for the provision of 14,168 doctors to the 3,785 municipalities that adhered to the program. Among these, 1,408 (37.2%) did not present any of the priority criteria set forth in the norms of the program, nor the vulnerability situations defined afterwards. In this study, we present evidence of the reduction in physicians' shortage, mainly in the North and Northeast regions. Nevertheless, we question the introduction of an eligibility profile that allowed for the recruitment and provision of 3,166 doctors in 1,408 non-priority municipalities, and intensified the poor distribution of doctors among regions in the country. The Hoover Index indicated that the inequities in distribution of doctors increased in all regions. In 2013, Brazil had to redistribute 61.0% of its physicians to reach equality in this distribution. In 2014, this percentage increased to 74.4%. However, does not mean that all municipalities would present equal or greater medical density to the minimum recommended by the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, the Gini Coefficient, calculated to verify inequities in doctor´s distribution in Brazil, went from 0.178 to 0.343 (p<0.001). Based on the methodology adopted we conclude that the allocation of doctors in non-priority or non-vulnerable localities impaired the program's ability to tackle the regional inequities related to doctor distribution.