The recognition by a diplomatic agreement “introduces different rules that are foreign to the regular procedure for the revalidation of foreign diplomas”

On Wednesday (11/26), the Committee on Education and Culture rejected the establishment of a specific rule for the recognition of diplomas of Brazilian physicians, graduated in Cuba. The rules are the core point of the complementary adjustment to the Agreement on Cultural and Educational Cooperation between Brazil and Cuba, which is being processed as a the Legislative-Resolution Bill 346/07, proposed by the Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense.

The rapporteur in Education, Deputy Lelo Coimbra (PMDB-ES), defended the rejection of the bill. He emphasized that the project provides for the possibility of recognition by means of a diplomatic agreement, “which introduces different rules, which are foreign to the formal procedures by which the revalidation of foreign diplomas has been done in Brazil.”

According to that adjustment, the diplomas can be recognized by Brazilian public universities, provided that those institutions close agreements with the Latin-American School of Medical Sciences (Escola Latino-Americana de Ciências Médicas - Elam).

Echo in Congress
For the rapporteur, the bill “has found a great echo in Congress”, because around 600 Brazilians, who have been studying Medicine in Cuba in the last few years, are linked to political parties or social movements.

According to the deputy, most of the physicians graduated in Cuba are older than 25, were referred by political parties of the government basis, by social movements, and by religious bodies, and most of them come from low-income families and get integral scholarships from the Cuban government.

“Because of the characteristics of that segment, their protest and political pressure has been finding a great echo in the government, in the Congress and in organized civil society, raising a great controversy”, he mentioned in the report.

Procedure
The Project – already approved by the Committee on the Constitution, Justice and Citizenship – was deemed emergency character, and will still be voted by the Committee on Social Security and Family, before being analyzed by the House Floor.

Report - Rodrigo Bittar
Editing - Newton Araújo Jr.
Translation: Positive