Brazil Grants Special Licenses to Four Cuban Doctors for Mais Médicos

In a recent development, Brazil's Ministry of Health has issued special professional licenses to four Cuban doctors who have been reinstated in the Mais Médicos program. This decision, documented in a resolution published on October 20, outlines the commencement of their duties on different dates in September and October 2026.

The resolution, known as Portaria SGTES/MS No. 396 dated October 16, 2026, was made public on Tuesday, October 20, in the Diário Oficial da União. It grants special permits to four Cuban medical professionals based on judicial and administrative procedures that facilitated their return to the program.

Signed by Felipe Proenço de Oliveira, Secretary of Labor and Education Management in Health, the resolution specifies the names of the beneficiaries and the regions where they will serve:

• Yasmaris Tercilla García: Resumed duties in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Pernambuco, beginning September 15, 2026.
• Mariasne Hechavarría Martínez: Assigned to Cascavel, Paraná, from September 21.
• Daylin Valverde Castilla: Appointed to Candelária, Rio Grande do Sul, starting October 1.
• Ileanne Torres Hardy: Rejoined in Mauá, São Paulo, from September 24.

These authorizations, detailed in the annex of the resolution, allow the doctors to practice solely within Mais Médicos under a unique professional registration (RMS), and do not equate to a general revalidation of their medical degrees for unrestricted work across Brazilian healthcare institutions.

The Historical Context of the Mais Médicos Program

This reinstatement traces back to Cuba's withdrawal from the Mais Médicos initiative in November 2018. The Cuban government, led by Miguel Díaz-Canel, ended its healthcare cooperation with Brazil due to disagreements with then-President-elect Jair Bolsonaro.

Bolsonaro's demands included full salary payments to Cuban doctors, the possibility for them to reunite with their families in Brazil, and the certification of their professional qualifications. Havana found these conditions unacceptable, leading to its unilateral exit.

The abrupt departure left many Cuban medical professionals with the difficult choice of returning to Cuba or trying to remain in Brazil, where many had established personal and familial ties.

The Path to Reinstatement

In December 2019, during Bolsonaro's presidency, Brazil enacted Law 13.958, creating an exceptional mechanism to reinstate Cuban doctors affected by the withdrawal. The law outlined three key conditions: having worked in Mais Médicos as of November 13, 2018, losing their position due to Cuba's withdrawal, and remaining in Brazil until August 1, 2019, as a naturalized citizen, resident, or asylum seeker.

This mechanism allows for a two-year exceptional reinstatement, though it has prompted legal disputes and subsequent judicial rulings.

Individual Authorizations, Not a Return to Cooperation

The new resolution does not signal a revival of official Cuban medical missions to Brazil nor a new cooperation agreement between the two nations. Instead, it involves individual authorizations based on Brazilian legislation.

Notably, three of the four doctors had sought to join the program as early as 2023. Official documents reveal that Yasmaris Tercilla García, Mariasne Hechavarría Martínez, and Ileanne Torres Hardy had been involved in new selection processes in that year.

Despite their validated entries in various cycles, the validation alone does not confirm their hiring at that time.

Judicial Support for Cuban Doctors' Return

In January 2023, the Brazilian federal judiciary mandated the reactivation of contracts for Cuban doctors initially reinstated during Bolsonaro's administration for a two-year period. This decision arose from controversies regarding the extension of these contracts compared to other calls.

Furthermore, in October 2023, the Superior Tribunal de Justiça set a precedent by ruling that a temporary return to Cuba following the withdrawal did not necessarily bar access to the reinstatement mechanism, considering the specific situations of doctors who returned to Brazil shortly thereafter with plans to settle.

In February 2026, the Supreme Federal Court unanimously upheld the constitutionality of the requirements for the reinstatement of Cuban doctors affected by the agreement's termination. The court's statement on March 11 emphasized the legal differentiation based on objective and legitimate criteria related to the consequences of Cuba's withdrawal.

As of August 2025, official data from Brazil's Ministry of Health indicated that 2,659 Cuban professionals were participating in the program, comprising 10% of the total 26,414 active doctors.

Unlike the previous arrangement where the Cuban government received payments through the Pan American Health Organization and withheld part of the doctors' salaries, Brazilian authorities confirmed in 2025 that these professionals were directly contracted and compensated, without Havana's involvement.