The governor of Minas Gerais and , (Novo), stated this Thursday (22) that he is in favor of applying exams that evaluate recently graduated doctors.
At an event that , an entity that brings together private hospitals and clinics and private laboratories, promotes with pre-candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, Zema was asked about the quality of training of professionals, in reference to the recent finding that 27.3% of courses at private colleges have grades considered low.
“I am an enthusiast of any assessment that shows someone’s proficiency, in my opinion, if the OAB’s reasoning [Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil] If it extended it would be good, and when it comes to health even more so. A bad lawyer can cause great damage, and a bad doctor can kill”, he said. He also stated that there is a national “cultural” resistance against rankings.
The pre-candidate was also asked about the unequal distribution of specialists by state, and stated that the lack of doctors in some locations had to be compensated with a state incentive.
For the audience made up mostly of businesspeople and executives in the health sector, the governor, who stated that he will resign from his position by April 4th, the deadline for him to run for President, paid homage to the sector, as a strategy.
Zema also spoke in favor of investing in primary health care, the gateway to the SUS (Unified Health System). “Attacking the problem early on when it is still small is an easier solution, so much so that primary care has received all of our focus,” he said.
One of his concerns, he added, is the fact that the country is “getting old before getting rich”, unlike Europe and the USA, he said. “Here we will need health care to become much more efficient, pay a lot of attention because millions of people do not have health insurance and will need this service from the state”, he stated.
He also said he is “annoyed” when politicians want to give their opinion on scientific issues. “There is the political and scientific field. You have to use those from the technical area, we are a government that listens”, he told the sector.
In 2024, however, Zema appeared in a video alongside Bolsonaro parliamentarians stating that he would not charge for the state education network. In the video, published on social media, Zema appears alongside senator Cleitinho (Republicanos-MG) and federal deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG), both supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro, saying that, in the state, every student, whether vaccinated or not, will have access to school.
At the time, the governor was asked to explain himself.
