Lisbon was the city chosen to hold the first Lusophone Public Health Conference, which included the dean of the NOVA National School of Public Health Lisbon (NOVA NSPH), Sónia Dias, as scientific chair, and Ricardo Mexia, from National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge as chair.
This conference was key to promoting the exchange of knowledge and co-operation in Public Health between the countries of the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP), and was an important moment for strengthening the networks of health professionals in the Portuguese-speaking world. The CPLP Strategic Health Co-operation Plan 2023-2027 was one of the dossiers debated during the proceedings.
At the closing session, the dean of NOVA NSPH highlighted the quality of the work presented and the high level of debate that took place over the two days of this event, which preceded the European Public Health Conference, which is taking place at the same venue until 15 November.
For Sónia Dias, this conference reinforced the fact that Public Health is not a topic that can remain ‘within borders’ and that ‘a more global and co-operative approach is essential if we want to respond to the major challenges’. ‘This conference demonstrated how we can come together for better policies and interventions based on evidence and associated with innovation,’ she added.
The conference was organised by the Portuguese Association for the Promotion of Public Health (APPSP) and the National Association of Public Health Physicians (ANMSP), in partnership with the EPH Conference.
Participants in this Lusophone conference included former Portuguese Health Minister Adalberto Campos Fernandes, former Angolan Health Minister Luís Gomes Sambo, former Guinea-Bissau Health Minister Magda Robalo, Cape Verde’s National Health Director, Ângela Gomes, the Deputy Minister of Health of Mozambique, Ilesh Jani, the Director of Health Research in Well-Being in Mozambique, Sérgio Chicumbe, or the Director General of Health Establishments and Care at the Ministry of Public Health of Guinea-Bissau, Ivandro Pedreira.