State of Ceará, Brazil, Has Less than One Doctor Per 1,000 Inhabitants

On February 19, 2013, Diário do Nordeste reported that the state of Ceará, in the northeast of Brazil, has less than one doctor per 1,000 inhabitants, among the lowest of all states.  Although the capital city of Fortaleza has around three doctors for every 1,000, other parts of the state have rates as low as 0.003 doctors for the same population.  Seventy-eight percent of registered doctors live in the capital.  According to the head of the doctors’ union, José Maria Pontes, the state must do more to invest in both basic health needs for the population and better pay for health professionals.  Read Article