Abstract

SILVEIRA, Rodrigo Pinheiro  and  PINHEIRO, Roseni. Understanding the need for doctors in innerstate Amazon - Brazil. Rev. Bras. Educ. Med. [online]. 2014, vol.38, n.4, pp.451-459. ISSN 1981-5271.  https://doi.org/10.1590/S0100-55022014000400006.

One of the current dilemmas inhealthcare worldwideis the unequal distribution of doctors between rural and urban areas, and capital cities and smaller towns. The north of Brazil is the region with lowest number of doctors per capita. The aim of this study is to analyze the indicators of physician distribution in the north of Brazil, focusing especially on disparities between capital cities and smaller towns. This ecological study draws on official statistics and documents of Brazilian institutions.Themain indicator used was the ratio of doctors per one thousand inhabitants. The nothern region has one doctor per one thousand inhabitants. The number in the set of capital cities was 2.5, ranging from 1.4 in Macapa to 3.4 in Belem. In innerstateregions of the Amazonthe figure was 0.4, ranging from 0.2 in Amazonas to 1.1 in Tocantins. Access to doctors in the capital cities of Amazonas and Paráis more than ten times greater than outside the capitals. This is the region of Brazil that is most in need of doctors.

Keywords : Medically Underserved Area; Rural Population, Brazil; Medical Education.

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