"This is a moment of capital importance for the health sector in Angola and Brazil" and an "opportunity to reinforce, strengthen and continue to bring Brazil closer to Angola", highlighted Sílvia Lutucuta.
During the launching ceremony of the Brazil-Angola Health Human Resources Training Program, at an event held at the Rio Branco institute, in Brasília, the minister thanked Brazil for its interest in solving "one of the Government's great priorities".
This Tuesday, Brazil committed to supporting the training of 3620 Angolan health professionals, in an initiative that emerged following the visit of the President, Lula da Silva, in August 2023, and following a request made by the Angolan government.
The initiative included, above all, the training of Angolan professionals in Brazil in various teaching modalities, such as doctorates, masters, specialization, additional internships, among others.
"To date, the teaching programs offered by Brazilian institutions have already accepted around 200 Angolan health professionals", detailed, in a statement, the Brazilian Cooperation Agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Of the 3620 places available in 28 Brazilian public educational institutions, 3120 are allocated to distance learning courses and 500 for face-to-face teaching.
"To President Lula da Silva, this great friend of Angola, we take this opportunity to thank you for your personal commitment to strengthening ties between our countries, especially in the health sector", highlighted the minister.
"We need health professionals in quantity and quality," she said.
On the same occasion, Brazil's Minister of Health, Nísia Trindade, recalled that Angola was the "first country in Africa that President Lula visited", in a demonstration of the strengthening of ties between the two countries and renewed Brazilian interest in the African continent.
"We went through similar problems, of colonization, of enslavement, of problems that we cannot forget, but that we can strengthen", stated the Brazilian minister, who was confident that relations between Brazil and Angola will bring "less inequality" for the peoples.
For the director of the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), Ruy Pereira, "the main beneficiary of this initiative is the Angolan people" through this program that aims to "increase the technical and professional capacity of Angola's public health system".
In the same vein, the Secretary General of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Maria Laura da Rocha, highlighted that Angola has always been Brazil's biggest bridge with the African continent and that the Brazilian Government, headed by Lula da Silva, wants to "grow with Africa but without dictating the path to anyone".
Finally, representing the Angolan students, Estefânia Francisca Garcia, who has been in Brazil for three weeks, highlighted the fact that the program is a "unique learning opportunity" to, through "knowledge of the vast Brazilian experience", apply this experience in the Angolan context.
