Author:

• Letícia Xander Russo - Russo, L. X. - <lxrusso2@uem.br>
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9592-8212

Abstract:

This article asses the effect of More Doctors (Mais Médicos) Program (MDP) on the equality in the distribution of primary care physicians (PCPs) in Brazil. Spatial data analysis, Lorenz curve and Gini coefficient were used to evaluate the geographic distribution of PCPs before and after the implementation of MDP (2012 and 2016). Data from 5,564 municipalities were used in the analyses. The results indicate that the distribution of PCPs has become more equal after MDP implementation. Between 2012 and 2016, overall Gini coefficient decreased by 11% from 0.255 to 0.227. At the state level, a statistically significant trend towards a more equal distribution of PCPs was found in 21 out of 26 Brazilian states. However, there still remains a substantial difference in the level of equality in PCP distribution, especially across states, with Gini coefficient ranging from 0.093 to 0.341 in 2016.

Keywords:

Physicians; Primary Health Care; Healthcare Disparities; Health workforce

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