In Mansoa, Dr Mariama Pinto Martins, Administrator of Mansoa Regional Hospital, is leading the charge to strengthen integrity and accountability in the healthcare sector. Her journey began with a Training of Trainers (ToT) program on Corruption Risk Management. Designed and delivered as part of the Transparency and Accountability in Governance Project implemented by UNDP Guinea-Bissau with funding from the Government of Japan, the ToT initiative has empowered local health professionals to take the lead in promoting integrity across the health sector.

The program equipped local professionals with practical tools and methodologies to identify, prevent, and manage corruption risks in health services. Over two days, Dr Mariama Pinto Martins, alongside Lourenço Gomes Júnior, Regional Health Administrator of Oio, trained 34 Community Health Officers from across the region. Through real-world exercises, group discussions, and HGI-certified methodologies, participants learned how to apply anti-corruption strategies in their daily work.

UNDP/Audrey Ngum

Dr Mariama emphasised the importance of this knowledge transfer: “Our goal is to provide better services to the population, with payments processed through proper channels, no bribes or informal fees, and full financial transparency. Digitisation of services is a key part of this process.”

Nerida de Fátima Caetano Gomes, Chief Nurse, a participant from the Bissorã Health Center, expressed her appreciation for the opportunity: “I learned a lot about corruption, which is an illicit act. I will share this knowledge with my colleagues at the health center who could not take part in the training. I hope we will have many more training days and be provided with training manuals. We learned how to manage corruption risks to facilitate our work and better serve the population.”

Maria de Lourdes Gomes, who works at the Directorate of Health in the Oio Region as Reproductive Health Officer, also highlighted the importance of the training: “I took part in the two-day training on corruption. We learned about the definition of corruption and how to manage corruption risks in the healthcare sector. In my daily work, I will try to implement the lessons learned and share the knowledge with my colleagues. Today I know what I must do and what is wrong. I believe that the population will benefit greatly from this initiative. If the law says not to sell certain medications or not to ask for payment from pregnant women during consultations, we now understand that this will help the population.”

The cascade model ensures that skills and methodologies remain in Guinea-Bissau, empowering local professionals to train others, strengthen governance, and build a culture of transparency and accountability throughout the health sector.