Avaliando a cooperação internacional para o desenvolvimento: análise dos efeitos do Programa Mais Médicos para o Brasil na Paraíba

Abstract

Studies about International Cooperation are abundant in the International Relations field. The practice can be considered a strategic tool in the promotion of international development, and recent initiatives that started from the South have gained prominence. Despite these considerations, it is important to emphasize the low incidence of studies that re-analyze the results produced by such arrangements. Considering foreign policy as a type of public policy, it is possible to perceive the practices of International Cooperation as subject to the scrutiny of methodologies traditionally focused on the analysis of national public policies. Thus, the present work seeks to investigate the modus operandi of an important and strategic project of international cooperation in health - the program More Doctors for Brazil (Projeto Mais Médicos para o Brasil - PMMB) - in the light of the evaluation of the Public Policy Cycle. The analytical effort to create instruments for analysis of international cooperation projects is finally illustrated by the practical observation of some PMMB results in the organization of health systems and services in municipalities in the state of Paraíba. From the analysis performed, it is possible to identify a positive increase in the number of physicians working in primary health care in most of the municipalities observed, as well as positive performance in the reduction of admissions due to conditions sensitive to primary health care and an increase of prenatal appointments.