Ministry Of Education Approves 77 Medical Courses And More Than 5,000 Slots In Brazil

Written by Sara Aquino

Published on 06/10/2025 at 14:19

Fonte: IA

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MEC Approves 77 New Medical Courses and Over 5,000 Slots in Brazil, Sparking Debate Over the Quality of Medical Training.

MEC Expands Medical Courses and Slots in Brazil at a Record Pace

The Ministry of Education (MEC) has authorized 77 new medical courses in different regions of Brazil over the last two years. Additionally, it increased slots in another 20 existing courses.

With these approvals, the country gained more than 5,400 new undergraduate opportunities between January 2024 and September 2025. Brazil now ranks second worldwide in the number of medical schools, behind only India.

Despite the progress, the rapid expansion raises concerns among health and education experts. They warn that the growth is occurring without a technical foundation and without adequate infrastructure.

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Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

With the new authorizations, Brazil has a total of 494 medical schools, 80% of which belong to the private sector, offering 50,974 undergraduate slots across the country.

The Medical Demography group in Brazil, from the Faculty of Medicine at USP, obtained the data through the Access to Information Law (LAI) and has been monitoring medical training for over 15 years.

According to the survey, the MEC is still reviewing 150 new requests for course openings, while another 75 have already been denied.

This rapid expansion draws the attention of researchers, who are surprised by the lack of technical justifications and planning given the pace of growth.

“We were quite astonished by both the number of new courses and the authorization of more slots in the older courses. There is no technical justification that supports this pace,” said Mario Scheffer, a professor at USP and coordinator of the research group.

Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

With the new authorizations, Brazil has reached 494 medical schools, of which 80% belong to the private network, totaling 50,974 undergraduate slots.

The data was obtained through the Access to Information Law (LAI) by the Medical Demography group in Brazil, from the Faculty of Medicine at USP, which has been monitoring medical training for over 15 years.

According to the survey, 150 new requests for course openings are awaiting analysis by the MEC, while 75 requests have been rejected. This rapid expansion surprised researchers.

“We were quite astonished by both the number of new courses and the authorization of more slots in the older courses. There is no technical justification that supports this pace,” said Mario Scheffer, a professor at USP and coordinator of the research group.

MEC Defends Expansion and Promises Enhanced Oversight

In a statement, the MEC reported that since the More Doctors Law (2013), the authorization of new courses is conditioned on a joint analysis with the Ministry of Health, which evaluates the capacity of cities to host medical courses.

The ministry also stated that between 2017 and 2022, there was significant expansion in the sector — even during the 2018 moratorium — resulting in the creation of 20,000 new slots. The agency asserts that recent openings comply with the “strict adherence to judicial decisions.”

Additionally, the MEC announced measures to ensure the quality of medical training, including the creation of the Enamed (National Exam for Medical Training Evaluation), which will be administered annually.

“There will be strategic oversight in courses with low performance, on-site evaluation visits, and updates to the national curricular guidelines”, the ministry informed.

Among the proposed actions are the suspension of new slots, blocking of contracts for Fies and Prouni, and even the closure of poorly rated courses.

Northeast Leads in the Opening of New Courses

According to the USP study, the Northeast region accounts for 37.7% of the new medical courses approved by the MEC, totaling 29 new colleges. Following are the Southeast (19), North (13), South (12), and Central-West (4).

The states that received the most authorizations were Pará, Bahia, and São Paulo, each with eight new courses. Ceará and Maranhão follow closely behind, each with seven new courses.

Cities outside the state capitals have also been awarded more than one medical course, such as Vitória da Conquista (BA), Sobral (CE), and São Mateus (ES). According to Scheffer, this pattern reinforces suspicions of political and business lobbying.

“There is a conjunction of lobbies in this medical education market. These courses that seem isolated are immediately incorporated by large groups. They have become the golden goose”, he stated.

The average tuition fee in private medical schools in Brazil is R$ 10.2 thousand, ranging from R$ 5.1 thousand to R$ 15.7 thousand.

Outlook for the Future

With the accelerated pace of expansion, Brazil is expected to reach 1.2 million doctors by 2030, which equates to 5.3 professionals per thousand inhabitants — almost double the current rate.

This growth is impressive in terms of numbers but raises concerns among specialists. They warn that increasing slots does not guarantee quality.

Medical training requires constant oversight, adequate infrastructure, and a qualified faculty. Without these elements, they assert, the country could produce more doctors, but with uneven preparation.

On the other hand, the MEC defends that the expansion of medical courses aims to reduce regional inequalities and meet the growing demand for healthcare professionals in underserved areas.

Still, researchers and medical entities maintain that the real challenge lies in balancing quantity and excellence.

Thus, the debate between expansion and quality continues to divide opinions and dominate the discussion on the future of medical training in Brazil. The scenario reinforces the need for more careful, sustainable public policies focused on education quality.

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Ministry Of Education Approves 77 Medical Courses And More Than 5,000 Slots In Brazil

MEC Approves 77 New Medical Courses and Over 5,000 Slots in Brazil, Sparking Debate Over the Quality of Medical Training.

MEC Expands Medical Courses and Slots in Brazil at a Record Pace

Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

MEC Defends Expansion and Promises Enhanced Oversight

Northeast Leads in the Opening of New Courses

Outlook for the Future

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Ministry Of Education Approves 77 Medical Courses And More Than 5,000 Slots In Brazil

MEC Approves 77 New Medical Courses and Over 5,000 Slots in Brazil, Sparking Debate Over the Quality of Medical Training.

MEC Expands Medical Courses and Slots in Brazil at a Record Pace

Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

Brazil Has Nearly 500 Medical Schools — 80% Private

MEC Defends Expansion and Promises Enhanced Oversight

Northeast Leads in the Opening of New Courses

Outlook for the Future

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Scientists enter a narrow, flooded cave 500 meters deep and find giant dinosaur footprints on the ceiling measuring up to 1.25 meters, preserved in such a rare way that a new type of trace had to be created.

After two years of internal discussions, Paraguay has finally regulated the law that opens the country to foreign technology and service companies with tax incentives that promise to create thousands of jobs and change the economy.

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