DILI, 07 september 2023 (TATOLI) – After meeting with the Head of State at the Aitarak Laran Presidential Palace, Catarina Furtado, the Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), visited the Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV), accompanied by the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta and Minister of Health, Élia Amaral.
The President hopes that from this visit, Catarina Furtado will be able to share information with donors in Europe and the United Nations about the reality she has seen so that they will continue to support programs for mothers and young children, as governments in many countries around the world often neglect to care for children and pregnant women.
The President acknowledged Timor-Leste’s efforts, but he considered them to be insufficient and suggested that the Government should do more in the next five years.
He said that the IX Government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, should improve the conditions of the referral hospitals to be equipped with adequate equipment, including doctors, nurses, and midwives to serve the community: “We should build health posts in the villages with doctors and health professionals available to serve mothers and children. We also need to create Mother and Child Centres in every village in the country.”
During her visit to HNGV, the goodwill ambassador said that it is very important to reduce maternal mortality by reducing the number of pregnant women who give birth at home.
“One way to do this is to create conditions for them to access hospitals and receive good treatment from qualified health professionals,” Furtado said during her visit to the HNGV, in Dili, today.
On Wednesday, in his visit to the Gleno Health Facility, Furtado raised the importance of good policy, commitment, and a serious investment of the government and development partners to combat maternal mortality in the country.
According to UNFPA, Timor-Leste has made great progress in improving maternal health, but over 50% of mothers in the island nation still deliver at home risking their lives and those of their babies.
UNFPA said that the lack of skilled birth attendants during pregnancy and childbirth is a big challenge in addressing Timor-Leste’s high maternal and infant mortality rates in the region – 195 per 100,000 live births maternal mortality ratio and 30 per 1,000 live births infant mortality rate.
“We have to change this number. It is possible to reduce this number. What needs to be done is goodwill, good policies, and collaboration between development partners,” Furtado told journalists in Gleno, Ermera.
Furtado’s four-day visit to Timor-Leste is to advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights, prevention, and response to gender-based violence.
Since being appointed as a Goodwill Ambassador in 2000, Furtado has traversed the world to visit UNFPA programs – highlighting the essential needs and rights of women and girls. This is her third visit to Timor-Leste and her second time as UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador.
As a renowned TV personality and filmmaker in Portugal, Catarina uses her platforms to share stories about sexual and reproductive rights and prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) and other harmful practices focusing on women and girls, in Portugal and to global audiences.
She is well known for her television documentary series, Príncipes do Nada, which introduced audiences to issues ranging from maternal health to adolescent pregnancy. Through her charity organization, Corações Com Coroa, founded ten years ago, she advocates for the prevention of GBV and empowering women and girls in Portugal.
Catarina Furtado’s visit aims to raise awareness of the urgency of preventing maternal deaths and gender-based violence in Timor-Leste and across the globe by 2030, in line with the UNFPA Transformative Agenda.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
