Luanda — The 21st Military Health Meeting of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) began on Tuesday in Luanda. Experts in the field are participating in the meeting with the goal of strengthening knowledge cooperation among member states.
The two-day meeting has the general theme "Cooperation and Interoperability in Military Health: Strengthening Capacities," and was opened by the Minister of State and Head of the Military House of the President of the Republic, Francisco Furtado.
Speaking on the sidelines of the meeting, the head of the Health Services of the General Staff of the Angolan Armed Forces, Brigadier Alberto de Almeida, said the forum constitutes an opportunity for the exchange of experiences among the participating countries.
He added that the first phase of the meeting includes presentations of scientific papers and research, allowing participants to learn about different practices and technologies applied to military health.
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The Director of Military Health of the Portuguese Armed Forces, rear admiral Francisco Guerreiro, on his turn, said the meeting constitutes an important space for rapprochement between member countries, allowing for the strengthening of cooperation and the exchange of knowledge in the field of military health.
He added that Portugal maintains several training and internship programs aimed at military health professionals from CPLP countries, some carried out in Portuguese territory and others in the partner countries themselves.
Francisco Guerreiro stressed that the current international geopolitical context, marked by security challenges, reinforces the need for investment in the armed forces, particularly in the area of military health, considered essential to guarantee assistance to military personnel, their families, and citizens in emergency situations.
The director of the Department of Health and Social Assistance of the Brazilian Ministry of Defense, brigadier General Carla Marchon, highlighted the importance of collaboration between Portuguese-speaking countries in the search for solutions to current challenges in the area of health.
She said the problems currently faced are complex and require equally complex and shared responses between civilians and the military, based on the exchange of experiences and the strengthening of institutional capacities.
The brigadier added that meetings of this kind allow for the discussion of relevant topics such as health care, biological security, the concept of One Health, and the impacts of climate change on health, aspects that directly influence the use of military forces.
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The two-day meeting will analyzed topics such as the mental health of military personnel, operational health, nuclear, biological, chemical and radiological defense, response to health emergencies, digital health, and the use of artificial intelligence in military medicine.
The CPLP, created in 1996, is composed of nine member states, namely Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and East Timor.
