Through the Ministry of Health, the Government officially launched the National Family Planning Campaign, aiming to promote three-year birth spacing to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. The ceremony, held on October 25^th, was attended by the Vice Minister for Institutional Strengthening of Health, José dos Reis Magno, and the Vice Minister for Hospital Operationalisation, Flavio Brandão Mendes de Araújo, as well as government representatives, the diplomatic corps and international partners. 

In his speech, Vice Minister José dos Reis Magno pointed out that “data from the 2016 Demographic Health Survey indicate a maternal mortality rate of 195 per 100,000 live births and a neonatal mortality rate of 52 per 1,000 live births, one of the highest in Asia. To address this challenge, three-year birth spacing is an essential strategy for improving maternal and child health”. With the theme ‘Good for Me, the Family, the Community and the Nation’, the campaign has technical and financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Japan. 

Japan’s Ambassador, Tetsuya Kimura, reinforced Japan’s commitment to supporting maternal and child health in Timor-Leste, stating that “improving maternal health is essential for children’s survival and growth, and we have been committed to this endeavour since 2002”.

Bruce Campbell, UNFPA representative in Timor-Leste, emphasised that “the three-year spacing between births contributes significantly to better nutrition and educational development for children, as well as reducing infant mortality rates. This investment promotes a brighter future for mothers, children and communities”. 

To complement initiatives in maternal and child health, the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, recently concluded a comprehensive review of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) and Vaccine Preventable Disease Surveillance (VPD). The review, which ran from October 14^th to 25^th, was officially closed at a ceremony in Dili on October 25^th, attended by the Minister of Health, Elia dos Reis Amaral, the WHO representative in Timor-Leste, Arvind Mathur, and other international partners. During the event, the Minister emphasised that “vaccines have played a central role in improving public health in Timor-Leste, increasing life expectancy by more than a decade and contributing to eliminating diseases such as maternal and neonatal tetanus, polio, measles and rubella”. 

 The review process resulted in strategic recommendations to strengthen immunisation coverage and disease surveillance across the country, including the introduction of new vaccines and strengthening cold chain and waste management.

In addition, among the Ministry of Health’s recent activities were two workshops held last week: the first, on October 25^th, focused on planning the procurement of medicines and medical products, organised by the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Medical Products with the support of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT); and the second, held on October 28^th, focused on the Joint External Evaluation of 19 technical areas of international health regulations. Both events were attended by the Vice Minister for Institutional Strengthening of Health, José dos Reis Magno, and aimed to improve procurement processes and strengthen public health response capacity in Timor-Leste.