A gender equity approach as a management strategy for the settlement of physicians in vulnerable areas

Although several government programs have contributed to significantly increasing the number of physicians in Brazil, remote and vulnerable areas that are difficult to access continue to lack a minimum number of professionals, and this hampers access to health care services and the population’s health indicators. Government strategies, such as special financial incentives, have been able to attract physicians to these remote areas with special needs; however, the settlement of these professionals has not been effective. In view of the trend toward the feminization of Medicine and the increasing family and economic influence of women in decision-making in current society, this theoretical essay suggests the use of contemporary approaches aimed at gender equity in health services in order to favor the settlement of medical professionals in regions most in need.