More than three months after the launch of the tender for the construction of the new Brava Health Center, the population is still waiting for answers

Since 2022, when the Prime Minister of Cape Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, emphatically announced that the new Health Center would be inaugurated in two years, the population of Brava has been waiting for this promise to be fulfilled. However, so far nothing has materialized, and what was supposed to be a milestone for improving health care on the island still remains an empty promise.

The situation was made worse by the statements of the former mayor of Brava in the 2020/24 term, who was one of the key figures in the government's promises that Brava would finally have a new quality health center. This former mayor actively participated in publicizing the project and ensuring that the work would be underway within a short period of time. Now, more than two years on from those promises, Bravenses feel deceived and abandoned by the authorities who had pledged to improve health on the island.

The disappointment is visible on the streets of the island, where the population continues to struggle with the difficulties of a health system that, as well as being insufficient, suffers from a lack of resources, equipment and professionals. The situation is even more alarming when you realize that, while several other islands in the archipelago are receiving new health centers, Brava is still waiting for a project that, so far, hasn't left the drawing board.

The promises of the government and its representatives have not been enough to calm the indignation of the population, who are clamoring for a clear explanation of what happened to the project. That's why the Bravenses are demanding answers from those who were at the forefront of this commitment, so that they can explain what is happening with the tender and the real reasons why the island still doesn't have its long-awaited Health Center.

"When we see announcements of new health centers being built on other islands, we can't help but remember that Brava still doesn't have one, even after so many promises," laments one of the island's residents, who preferred not to be identified. "We deserve an explanation and, above all, action. We can't go on being ignored," he adds.

The feeling of frustration is shared by many other Bravenses, who feel increasingly disillusioned with the management of health on the island and with political promises that never materialize. The people of Brava now hope that those responsible will pay due attention to the case and finally start to take the necessary steps to ensure that the island has the Health Center it so desperately needs, before yet another promise is lost in oblivion.

MS