The CT-Luso’s contribution to capacity building in health research was highlighted during meetings with the Director of Health Care Services of São Tomé and Príncipe, Isaulina Barreto, and with the Health Ethics Committee for Scientific Research (CESIC). The meetings took place on 5 and 6 October, respectively, as part of the institutional visit of the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society to the country.
At the meeting with CESIC, chaired by Eula Maquengo, CT-Luso was highlighted as the Commission’s main training partner. The project’s two previous online training programmes recorded a combined total of 36 participants from São Tomé and Príncipe. For the project’s in-person training programme, to be held in Portugal in November, five participants from São Tomé and Príncipe are expected to take part: three professionals from the Ministry of Health, one CESIC representative and one investigator.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to learn more about the Commission’s work and the process for reviewing research studies. Legislation and digitalisation were identified as challenges, and the possibility of establishing an ethics committee with a broader remit covering the life sciences was also discussed.
