The President of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves, visited Porto, Portugal, today with a clear strategic goal: to establish “new avenues” for cooperation in the health sector. During his visit to the Hospital de São João, the President held meetings with hospital administration and visited Cape Verdean patients currently undergoing treatment there.
Neves emphasized that while the existing relationship between Portugal and Cape Verde is excellent, the time has come to pursue a substantial improvement in the quality of health services provided within Cape Verde itself.
Reflecting on the history of the partnership since Cape Verde’s independence, President Neves highlighted that while Portugal has played a vital role in medical training and the evacuation of patients, the country is now ready to face new challenges.
He pointed out the successful establishment of two hemodialysis centers in Cape Verde and the recent execution of a renal transplant by Portuguese specialists as evidence of a maturing cooperation model.
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The President envisions leveraging telemedicine for diagnostics and specialized consultations, as well as developing local medical expertise to reduce the reliance on transferring patients abroad for specialties like ophthalmology, cardiology, oncology, and orthopedics.
The President expressed that Portugal’s National Health Service serves as an inspiration for the developments he hopes to see in his own country. By creating specialized centers for high-incidence diseases, Cape Verde aims to optimize its resources and provide more effective care closer to home.
This collaboration extends beyond clinical practice into academic training, with the President citing successful programs, such as those with the University of Coimbra, as models to be expanded to other medical faculties.
Beyond his focus on the health sector, President Neves utilized his time in Porto to engage in decentralized cooperation. After visiting the Hospital de Santo António, he attended a luncheon at Casa do Roseiral to meet with local mayors from the Northern and Central regions of Portugal, strengthening ties between their respective municipalities.
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The day concluded with a visit to a patient residence in the Areosa area, which houses Cape Verdean citizens seeking treatment in Portugal. This visit is part of a broader tour of the Cape Verdean diaspora, which began on Sunday at the University of Maia and is scheduled to continue through the coming week.
