The statement was made during a visit to the Andaraí Federal Hospital in Rio de Janeiro’s northern zone on Monday (Jul. 27), alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, and state and municipal officials.

Notícias relacionadas:

• HPV prevalence falls among young Brazilians after vaccination.
• Brazil to begin domestic production of key HIV medication.
• Brazil marks one year off Hunger Map, but challenges persist.

“Brazil shows the world that it serves as an example. The Brazilian health system is universal and demonstrates that health care should be for everyone, not just for a few,” he said.

Ghebreyesus also praised Brazil’s role in the international health agenda, citing the global agreement on pandemics approved this year and the historic cooperation between the WHO and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

Hepatitis B

The director participated in the presentation of the dossier launching the international certification process for the elimination of vertical transmission of hepatitis B (from mother to child) as a public health problem in Brazil. The document was presented on World Hepatitis Day.

According to him, this achievement is the result of years of work by health professionals, researchers, and communities across the country.

“Once again, I thank Brazil for demonstrating that elimination requires discipline, not just slogans,” he pointed out.

Ghebreyesus praised Brazil’s role in the international health agenda, citing the global agreement on pandemics approved this year and the historic cooperation between the WHO and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) - Tomaz Silva/Agência Brasil

Visit

Ghebreyesus’s visit to the Andaraí Federal Hospital took place during his trip to Brazil to attend the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and meet with the Ministry of Health to discuss strategies for disease elimination and ways to strengthen cooperation between the WHO and Brazilian institutions.

During the visit, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted that the revitalization of federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro aims to transform these facilities into centers of excellence.

“There is no country on the planet with more than 100 million inhabitants that has a universal health system like our SUS,” Lula stated.

“The SUS works because the janitors, nurses, doctors, technicians, and all the workers had the courage to care for people. That is why we are strengthening the SUS,” he added.