Minister of Health of São Tomé admits deterioration of the system

O health minister sãotomense admitted today the bad results of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG), which classified it as the second most deteriorating African country of the decade in the health sector, but highlighted recent improvements.

“It’s true. For the past 10 years we have been regressing into some health parameters. In others we improved, but in others we regressed ", admitted Celso Matos in an interview with Lusa in São Tomé.

However, the minister stressed that “this published result refers to the last ten years”, 2016 to 2025, while the executive member took office only in the last two years.

“ It is important to be clear, not from this government. And, by the way, I have here an image that shows this, that in 2024 it had more deterioration. ... In 2025 there was a stabilization ", says Celso Matos.

Among the progress achieved, the orthopedist doctor, who was a bastonary of the Order of Doctors of São Tomé and Príncipe, highlighted improvements in the indicators of fight against malaria: in 2024 more than seven thousand cases were pointed out, almost twice as much as the previous year, but in 2025, “there was a reduction” to four to five thousand cases.

Celso Matos also pointed out improvements in the control of communicable diseases, namely HIV, where he said there were “very good results”, as well as in access to health care.

“ We have health centers all over the country. We have been increasing the number of doctors for the districts and we have a orientation focused on primary health in which our mission is to have a doctor for each health center in that country, and it is not long before we reach this goal,” he said.

“This is precisely to improve, give people access to medical care. At the primary level, we need to provide services with more medicines, more means of diagnosis,” he added.

Regarding the indicators that deteriorated or continue to improve, Celso Matos pointed out that many do not depend exclusively or mainly on the health sector.

Regarding the control of non-communicable diseases, Matos admitted that “it is a serious problem in the health of São Tomé and Príncipe”, highlighting that cases of Cardio Vascular Accident (CVA), diabetes and blood pressure have been triggered, as well as other diseases whose origin is food, hygiene and lack of physical exercise.

“ We are aware that non-communicable diseases are the most expensive for the system. Besides the repercussions for the health of the person, they are the most expensive. And our country has no money to (...) give the quality of assistance that people need”, he said.

“ We've created a department of chronic non-communicable diseases. This department has a team, a strategic plan for non-communicable diseases was developed, a strategic plan for oncologic diseases, training of oncology personnel, for primary level management, primary level administrators were trained to improve”, added the Minister of Health.

“ But it is important to point out that these strategic plans all, in order to be implemented, need funding and this is a great problem (...) because the health system of São Tomé and Príncipe, although much is spent (...), it is a free system, in quotation marks, for what is really the cost of what the State puts ", stressed the Minister of Health.

According to Celso Matos, the lack of funding has been the obstacle to several actions, such as the modernization of hospital equipment, the permanence of human resources, the timely acquisition of medicines and consumables.

However, it has ensured that it will leave documents and guidelines outlined for the next Minister of Health who will be taking office in the coming weeks, after the constitution of the new Government, following the legislation of 27 September.