Brasília – The Ministry of Health, through Felipe Proenço, Secretary of Workforce and Health Education, expressed concern over the rapid expansion of medical schools in Brazil, which grew from 13,820 seats in 2004 to 48,491 in 2024. According to the most recent national evaluation, 20% of medical courses failed to achieve satisfactory performance, while only six programs received the highest score in the preliminary quality assessment.

To address these gaps, the government introduced a national medical training assessment (ENAMED), which becomes mandatory in 2025 and will guide decisions on reducing admissions or suspending entrance exams for underperforming courses. The Ministry also reintroduced the accreditation process for teaching hospitals within the public health system to ensure that practical training environments meet minimum standards for clinical practice and residency training. Authorities expect to expand accreditation from the current 202 institutions to approximately 1,300, aiming to strengthen supervision, improve workforce distribution and elevate the quality of medical education nationwide.

Source: Futuro da Saúde