Justice orders the government to rehire Cubans

The judge decided that the federal government should rehire Cuban doctors who participated in the Mais Médicos program and whose program was suspended in 2018, after Cuba terminated the contract with Brazil, following the election of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for the presidency.

The decision of the Federal Regional Court of the First District, signed by Judge Carlos Augusto Perez Brandao, includes the 20 group of Mais Médicos and fulfills a request from the National Association of Medical Professionals Trained in Foreign Institutions and Exchange Students.

The judge requires the union to submit, within a period of ten days, an implementation plan for the employment of professionals.

What does resolution mean?

• Accelerates the intention of the Lula Government (PT) to resume the Mais Médicos programme
• It allows the re-appointment of Cuban doctors from the Mais Médicos Group 20.

At the beginning of the month, the Minister of Health, Nicia Trindade, said this The “priority” in the first 100 days of the new government is to resume the Miss Medicus programme. However, the administration intends to introduce incentives to increase the participation of Brazilian professionals.

“We are working on an incentive vision so that Brazilian doctors can participate more in this programme. We will follow the legislation already established regarding the priority of Brazilian doctors,” Necia said. Regarding the decision, the Ministry of Health stated that it has not been notified of the decision yet. Once notified, the folder will speed up the request.

Yanomami

To justify the decision, the judge cited the people’s health crisis Yanomami.

The More Doctors for Brazil program allows for the implementation of public health measures to combat the health crisis that has spread in the indigenous region Yanomami. Declaring a public health emergency by decision of the Ministry of Health.
Carlos Augusto Perez Brandao, Judge

the program

Launched during the government of Dilma Rousseff (PT), the program generated controversy in a section of the Brazilian medical community due to the high employment of Cuban professionals.

The initiative was dismantled by the Bolsonaro administration, which accused the Workers’ Party of providing money to Cuba, which it classified as a communist dictatorship. In the previous administration, the program gave way to Brazilian doctors.

Cuba announced in November 2018 that it would withdraw from the Mais Médicos program after Bolsonaro, the then-president-elect, stated that he would change the terms of cooperation in the initiative and set conditions for the Cuban government.

Bolsonaro compared the performance of Cuban doctors in the Mais Médicos program to forced labor and ensured that when he took over the government “a Cuban who wants to seek asylum will get it here”.