Brazil: Mais Médicos health program advancing
• President Dilma Rousseff highlights the work of Cuban doctor recognized by the community for her dedication

BRASILIA.—The Mais Médicos program is to include 6,600 doctors by the end of this year, to the benefit of some 23 million Brazilians in rural areas, affirmed the country’s President Dilma Rousseff.

In her traditional radio show "Coffee with the President," Rousseff praised the progress of the project launched in July, which currently has 3,600 doctors, including Brazilians and those from other countries, treating more than 12 million patients, PL reports.

A further 3,000 are to arrive by the end of 2013 to provide services for Brazil’s marginalized populations, who have lacked regular access to healthcare, stated Rousseff upon announcing a new convocation this December, directed at attracting national doctors who have completed postgraduate studies.

She reiterated that the program has maintained the same criteria since its beginning: vacancies not filled by professionals trained in this nation are to be offered to outside specialists.

The President noted that the objective is to have 13,000 health specialists throughout the country by the end of March 2014, which will guarantee health care to more than 46 million citizens.

Rousseff also emphasized the work of a Cuban doctor who, she said, has won community prestige and gratitude, as a result of the sterling attention she has given her patients.

Dr. Mirta does a complete examination of each of her patients, measures their blood pressure, listens to their hearts, examines everything without haste, she emphasized.