STJ Restores MEC Sanctions Based on Enamed Results

The court's order reinstates penalties that cut nearly 1,900 medical school places, reflecting a view that state duties to protect health justify enforcement of training standards.

Overview

The Superior Court of Justice issued a preliminary decision on Wednesday that suspended a TRF1 injunction and reinstated the Ministry of Education's sanctions tied to the first Enamed exam, with Minister Herman Benjamin stressing the priority of health in education oversight.
The first Enamed, whose results were released in January 2025, rated 107 of 351 medical courses at the lowest levels (scores 1 and 2) and prompted the MEC and INEP to apply penalties to poorly performing programs.
Those penalties have affected about 1,900 student places across roughly 50 institutions by reducing or suspending vacancies tied to courses judged unsatisfactory.
Private maintainers ABMES and Abrafi had sued to strip the exam of regulatory force, arguing the evaluation criteria were published only after the test and so lacked predictability and transparency.
The STJ order is temporary and can be challenged on appeal, but it sets a judicial precedent for using national exams as a regulatory tool and could reshape how medical schools, students, and regulators manage quality and capacity.