Converted into federal law, the Agora Tem Especialistas program aims to increase the number of doctors in needier regions and reduce waiting times for specialized care in the Unified Health System
O sanctioned this Tuesday (7) Provisional Measure (MP) 1301/2025, which creates the Program and now it becomes federal law. The text had been approved by the National Congress at the end of September. According to the Minister of Health, Alexandre Padilha, the president fully validated the final version approved by parliamentarians, without vetoes. Announced in July, the program aims to increase the number of specialist doctors in the regions most in need of these professionals and reduce waiting times for specialized care in the Unified Health System (SUS), through the offer of private providers in exchange for a reduction in federal taxes.
The estimated tax waiver will be R$2 billion per year from 2026 onwards. Although the procedures can be carried out from this year onwards, tax deductions payable or owed begin in 2026. The initiative allows establishments that join the program to offer specialized care to patients in the Unified Health System (SUS), helping to reduce the population’s waiting time for surgeries, exams and public health consultations. According to the text, the program will run until December 31, 2030.
“We have already included patients being cared for by health plans, patients still being cared for in private hospitals. We have already had third shift actions in several municipal administrations. Our federal hospitals are already working in a third shift to carry out more surgeries, more exams and consultations”, highlighted Padilha. “We placed more than 300 specialist doctors to work in various regions of the country through direct action by the federal government. All of this was allowed by the Provisional Measure, now it becomes law, it has more strength, more security, including for the membership of private hospitals, membership of the health plan, of health hospitals to serve our population, it gives more sustainability to the Agora Tem Especialistas program”, added the minister.
Concern about the distribution of professionals in the country motivated the government to create the program. Data from the Ministry of Health show that most specialist doctors are concentrated in three units of the Federation: Federal District, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. In total, there are 244,141 general practitioners (40.9%), while specialists number 353,287 (59.1%) without working in more distant regions and still focusing on the private sector.
New hires for the program will work in specialized polyclinics and laboratories. The proposal allows services to be carried out, in whole or in part, via telemedicine, respecting the principles of the SUS, the confidentiality of information and the patient’s express consent.
*With information from Agência Brasil
