Afya Educational opens capital in Stock Exchange American and seeks the transformation of medical education in Brazil.

The largest medical education group in Brazil in the number of medical vacancies authorized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (1.352 in total). Afya Educacional was the first medical education company in the world to open capital in the NASDAQ American Stock Exchange. In addition to being the first Brazilian IPO of 2019 in this Stock Exchange. The action began to be negotiated from today, under the acronym AFYA. The initial capture reached U$300 million, exceeding the initial goal, which was of U$269 million. The initial pricing reached U$19 per share in the NASDAQ electronic pouch, a dollar above the estimated maximum value.

New brand in the education segment, but already with 20 years since the opening of his first medical school, the Afya has been expanding its academic offerings in the field of health through acquisitions in the last two years. Currently, there are 13 schools in five states, preparatory courses for exams of medical residency and medical postgraduate in the main capitals of the country.

“The Afya wants to be the physician's main partner throughout his professional journey: from graduation to the latest specializations. We opted for NASDAQ because our value proposition is based on the trinomial education, health and technology and there are companies with similar business dynamics. We are creating disruptive medical education, connected with the present and geared towards learning at all stages of medical career”. Explains Virgílio Gibbon, CEO by Afya Educational.

“Although we are already the largest medical education operator in Brazil, with more than 50 hospitals and accredited clinics, the market is still quite pulverized and with plenty of opportunity for consolidation. The goal is to increase our capillarity, creating a system with own units, colleges and partner hospitals to further enhance the quality of learning, the range of our courses and give more practical flexibility to our medical student ", said Gibbon.

GEOGRAPHIC POSITIONING 

Afya is not only a pioneer in the use of technology in the learning process, but also an innovative format for delivering content. It was the first company to launch a medical web series totally focused on the teaching and learning process. "We asked our students what the best way would be to learn and they responded that they would like to study the same way they engage in the episodes of TV series”, explains Júlio De Angeli, VP of innovation and continuing education of Afya Educacional. “We decided to create our own series, set in hospitals, with 49 real cases linked to the practical experiences of the medical professional and fully integrated and selectable within our medical education platform”, complements by Angeli.

In the coming months, Afya arrives at four new states in the north of the country after winning seven Mais Médicos Program notices, of the Federal government, being five in definite character. The first units will be Cruzeiro do Sul, in Acre, and Santa Inês, in Maranhão, still in 2019. In the following will come Itacoatiara and Manacapuru, in Amazonas, and Cametá, in Pará. In each unit, Afya is authorized to offer 50 vacancies per year for the medical entrance exams.

AFYA IN NUMBERS

Students 36 thousand, being:

• 25 thousand in undergraduate (6 thousand of Medicine);
• 550 in medical postgraduate studies;
• 9 thousand in preparatory courses for residency, title and specialization test;

Geographic presence: 19 cities in 8 states

Professor: 2 thousand, being 600 doctors

Administrative collaborators: 2 thousand

Courses:

• Graduation: 30
• Preparations for residence: 7
• Graduate: 13

ABOUT AFYA EDUCATIONAL

Afya is the largest group of medical schools in Brazil in the number of medical vacancies authorized by the Ministry of Education (MEC): 1.352. The company was born in 2019 with the goal of being the great partner of medical professionals throughout their training journey. But the history of the units that compose the group began in 1999, with the first medical school in Tocantins, in the north of the country.

Through its teaching units, AFYA has operated since graduation- Have 30 courses, with emphasis on medicine -, passing through courses for residency exams and other titles until medical graduate. The group bets on an innovative methodological approach, combining integrated content, interactive learning and an adaptive experience for medical students throughout their vocational training. Through a digital platform, Afya offers students access to educational materials, teaching materials, including video tutorials, podcasts, reading materials, and practice questions.