The Secretary of State for Health, Ana Povo, participated on Friday in the closing session of the VII Congress of the National Association of Public Health Doctors, which took place over three days in Espinho. The event's theme was «From Policy to Community: A Contract for Health».
Ana Povo emphasized that public health is an essential approach to population health that should permeate the entire system, not being exclusive to a single institution. She highlighted the need for these doctors in various entities, including IPST, ICAD, and Infarmed, in addition to the Directorate-General of Health and the National Institute of Health Dr. Ricardo Jorge.
The Secretary of State anticipated that public health will be one of the pillars of the central reform that the Ministry of Health intends to implement soon. The goal is to equip the area with a modern structure, enhanced capacity, and greater integration, making it more attractive to future professionals.
Representing the ANSMP, vice-president João Paulo Magalhães argued that protecting and improving population health is a collective responsibility. The Congress's Declaration Charter resulted in eight commitments, including placing health at the center of decision-making, making equity a conscious choice, defending access to health, giving prevention the same weight as response, demanding transparent and responsible decisions, strengthening public health in communities, building alliances, and assuming responsibility for the future.
