Brazil Senate passes R$13,600 salary floor for doctors and dentists

The Senate’s Committee on Social Affairs approved a bill that would raise the national minimum wage for physicians and dentists from R$3,636 to R$13,662 for a 20‑hour work week. The proposal also increases night‑shift and overtime premiums from 20% to 50%, guarantees a 10‑minute rest break for every 90 minutes worked, and requires that leadership of medical and dental services be held by qualified professionals. The wage floor would be indexed annually to inflation and would apply to both public and private sectors, while states, the Federal District and municipalities could adjust the raise according to local legislation. Funding for the higher expenditures is slated to come from transfers of the National Health Fund.

If the Chamber of Deputies accepts the Senate’s text under a similar expedited procedure, the measure will proceed to the president for sanction. Senator Fernando Dueire argued the law is needed because “a law that is systematically ignored becomes an empty promise,” emphasizing the need for a clear remuneration baseline to protect health workers and improve access to care in remote regions.