Brazil may raise number of Cuban doctors again

[Judi Lynn]

2. Cuban doctors tend to Brazil's poor, giving Rousseff a boost

Cuban doctors tend to Brazil's poor, giving Rousseff a boost
By Anthony Boadle
JIQUITAIA, Brazil Sun Dec 1, 2013 9:19am EST

(Reuters) - They were heckled and called slaves of a communist state when they first landed, but in the poorest corners of Brazil the arrival of 5,400 Cuban doctors is being welcomed as a godsend.

The program to fill gaps in the national health system with foreign doctors, mainly from Cuba, could become a big vote-winner for President Dilma Rousseff as she eyes a second term in next year's election despite fierce opposition from Brazil's medical class.

The move to tap Cuba's doctors-for-export program begun by former leader Fidel Castro became a priority for Rousseff after massive protests against corruption and shoddy public transport, education and healthcare services rocked Brazil in June.

Within weeks, she launched "Mais Médicos", or "More Doctors", a program to hire foreign physicians. Brasilia signed a three-year contract to bring thousands of Cuban doctors to work in poor and remote areas where Brazilian physicians prefer not to practice.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/01/us-brazil-doctors-cuba-idUSBRE9B005720131201