CFM defends moratorium on medical schools in Brazil

Last Thursday (13), the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) published an open note to Brazilians reiterating its position against the resumption of the opening of new medical schools in the country, as well as the expansion of vacancies in existing courses. With the document, the municipality defends the maintenance of the moratorium, according to Ordinance nº 328/2018, of the Ministry of Education, which provides for the suspension of public notices for the opening of new medical schools and to increase vacancies in schools already in operation. See the full note below: NOTE TO BRAZILIANS CFM defends moratorium on medical schools in the country The Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), meeting in plenary this Thursday (06/13/2019), reiterates its position against the resumption of the opening of new medical schools in the country, as well as the expansion of vacancies in existing courses. Currently, in Brazil there are 336 medical schools, distributed in 223 municipalities that, together, offer 34,465 vacancies per year. From the current scenario, in a short time, the country will exceed the mark of 500 thousand doctors in activity, with an average of 2.5 doctors per thousand inhabitants, a rate close to that of nations like Japan and Canada. In this sense, the argument that the opening of schools is necessary to guarantee an increase in the number of physicians is unfounded, remembering that the installation of these courses does not guarantee the retention of graduates in graduation places. Studies show that after graduation, most students migrate to large centers in search of better job opportunities to continue their education. Thus, CFM firmly defends the maintenance of the moratorium, in accordance with Ordinance No. 328/2018, of the Ministry of Education, which provides for the suspension of public notices for the opening of new medical schools and to increase vacancies in schools already in operation. The CFM proposes the resumption of the activities of the Working Group created to provide subsidies for the reorientation of training in undergraduate medical courses. Measures that disregard these aspects are wrong. On the one hand, they prioritize the interests of political groups and economic agents, who see medical education as a lucrative lode to be explored. On the other hand, they weaken the teaching process, threaten the credibility of the profession and put patients, society and future medical school graduates at risk.