Maria da Graça Gregório de Freitas (born 26 August 1957) is a Portuguese physician and

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

specialist who was the Director-General of Health and inherently the chief medical officer and leading spokesperson on matters of public health in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, between 2018 and 2023. She has work published in the fields of

vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...

, prevention and control of communicable diseases, public health emergencies, and

health communication Health communication is the study and application of communicating promotional health information, such as in public health campaigns, health education, and between doctors and patients. The purpose of disseminating health information is to inf ...

. Before her appointment to the Directorate-General, she served as Deputy Director-General under her predecessor Francisco George, and coordinated several public health programmes, most notably, since 1996, the Portuguese National Vaccination Programme. She is also a member of the Management Board of the

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is an agency of the European Union (EU) whose mission is to strengthen Europe's defences against infectious diseases. It covers a wide spectrum of activities, such as: surveillance, e ...

, of the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...

Expanded Program on Immunization, among other international groups. Due to her prominent national role during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal The COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal was a part of the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). On 2 March 2020, the virus was confirmed to have reached the country when it was re ...

, Graça Freitas was included in ''

Jornal de Negócios ''Jornal de Negócios'' (meaning ''Business Newspaper'' in English) is a Portuguese language business newspaper published in Lisbon, Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southweste ...

s list of 50 Most Powerful People of 2020, which included both Portuguese and international personalities.

Early life and education

She was born in 1957, in

Nova Lisboa A nova ( novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. All observed novae involve white ...

(present-day

Huambo Huambo, formerly Nova Lisboa (English language, English: ''New Lisbon''), is the third-most populous List of cities and towns in Angola, city in Angola, after the capital city Luanda and Lubango, with a population of 595,304 in the city and a pop ...

), in

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

, which was at the time the

Overseas Province of Angola Overseas may refer to: *Diaspora, a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate locale *Expatriate, a person residing in a country other than their native country ** Overseas Chinese ** Overseas Citizenship of India ** Overseas Filipinos ...

, a territory under Portuguese rule. Her father was a civil servant in the Angolan public administration, and her mother a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

. By her own account, the figure of the

health officer A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

(''delegado de saúde''), which was very important in that territory, might have drawn her to

; alternatively, she also recalls being influenced by two very good friends. Initially, she had considered a career in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

silviculture Silviculture is the practice of controlling the growth, composition/structure, as well as quality of forests to meet values and needs, specifically timber production. The name comes from the Latin ('forest') and ('growing'). The study of forests ...

, but her parents discouraged it due to it being uncommon to see women in agricultural engineering at the time; in her teenage years, she had also considered

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

. She enrolled in Medicine at the

University of Luanda The University of Luanda (UniLuanda; ) is an Angolan public university based in the city of Luanda. The university emerged from the merger of the Higher Institute for Information and Communication Technologies and the Higher Institute of Manage ...

in 1974, the year of the

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

. Angola achieved independence from Portugal the following year through the

Alvor Agreement The Alvor Agreement, signed on 15 January 1975 in Alvor, Portugal, granted Angola independence from Portugal on 11 November and formally ended the 13-year-long Angolan War of Independence. The agreement was signed by the Portuguese governmen ...

; in 1975, she departed for

and concluded her studies in the Faculty of Medicine of the

University of Lisbon The University of Lisbon (ULisboa; ) is a public university, public research university in Lisbon, and Portugal's largest university. It was founded in 1911, but the university's present structure dates to the 2013 merger of the former Universit ...

in 1980. She specialised in

in 1988, having conducted her postgraduate training in the

Hospital de Santa Maria Hospital de Santa Maria (; "Saint Mary's Hospital") is a public Central Hospital serving the Greater Lisbon area as part of the Northern Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULN), a State-owned enterprise. Santa Maria is the largest hospital in ...

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

and, for eight months, in a community primary healthcare unit in

Ponte de Sor Ponte de Sor () is a city and municipality in Portalegre District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 16,722, in an area of 839.71 km2. The present Mayor is Hugo Hilário, elected by the Socialist Party. The municipal holiday is Easter ...

, a rural municipality in

Alentejo Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond the Tagus" (). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo Province, Alto Alentejo and Bai ...

Career

Graça Freitas was a

''Assistante'' and an ''Assistante Graduada'' (

consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...

) in the

Ajuda Ajuda () is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) and district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Ajuda is located in western Lisbon, northeast of Belém and west of Alcântara. The population in 2011 was 15,617.community health centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

in 1990 and again between 1992 and 1996; she also worked as the

chief health officer A medical officer of health, also known as a medical health officer, chief health officer, chief public health officer or district medical officer, is the title commonly used for the senior government official of a health department, usually at a m ...

, and as member of the Group for the Guarantee of Quality of the Lisbon Regional Health Administration. During this time, she took a particularly interest in the vaccination of the people in

Ajuda Ajuda () is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) and district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Ajuda is located in western Lisbon, northeast of Belém and west of Alcântara. The population in 2011 was 15,617.Restelo, which she described as "a sort of a crusade". In 1990–1991, she worked for the Directorate of Health Services of

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, where she was a

, the coordinator of the community health centres, and supervised the public health

internship An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, internship is used to practice for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and g ...

programme. After having collaborated with José Pereira Miguel in a research project, she was invited to become his

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in the Faculty of Medicine of the

, and filled the position for over twenty years, from 1995 to 2017. She often delivered her lectures sitting beside her students in the

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

, encouraging discussion. She did not, however, pursue an academic career, or enroll on a

doctoral programme Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor' ...

. From 2000 to 2004, she also taught at the University's Faculty of Dental Medicine. In 1996, at the invitation of Jorge Torgal, she joined the Directorate-General of Health as Head of the Division for Communicable Diseases, and Coordinator of the National Vaccination Programme. From 1998, she also Chaired the Technical Committee on Immunization. In 2005, she was first appointed Deputy Director-General and was entrusted with several different roles: she was responsible for Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan (2006–2007), for the Services of Epidemiology and Health Statistics (2007–2012), for the Division of Disease Prevention and Control (2007–2009), for the functional axis for the prevention, containment and control of

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

pandemics (2009–2010), for the Services of Disease Prevention and Control (2009–2012), and for the Services of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2012–2017). In a 2018 interview, Graça Freitas mentioned the 2003 SARS epidemic and the "profound anguish" until the causative agent,

SARS-CoV Severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV or SARS-CoV'', Betacoronavirus pandemicum'')The terms ''SARSr-CoV'' and ''SARS-CoV'' are sometimes used interchangeably, especially prior to the discovery of SARS-CoV-2. This m ...

, was identified, as the most complicated moment in her career at the Directorate-General of Health. She also recalled having cried as WHO Director-General

Margaret Chan Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun (born 21 August 1947) is a Chinese-Canadian physician, who served as the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) delegating the People's Republic of China from 2006 to 2017. Chan previously served a ...

announced the start of the

2009 swine flu pandemic The 2009 swine flu pandemic, caused by the H1N1/swine flu/influenza virus and declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) from June 2009 to August 2010, was the third recent flu pandemic involving the H1N1 virus (the first being the 1918� ...

on live television, as it brought to mind the devastation of the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 flu pandemic, also known as the Great Influenza epidemic or by the common misnomer Spanish flu, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, H1N1 subtype of the influenz ...

. She stood by the "excessive" stockpiling of the antiviral

Oseltamivir Oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu among others, is an antiviral medication used to treat and prevent influenza A and influenza B, viruses that cause the flu. Many medical organizations recommend it in people who have complicati ...

, as only in hindsight could it be known that the pandemic was to turn out to be much milder than expected.

Director-General of Health

Graça Freitas succeeded Francisco George as Director-General of Health in 2018, the second woman to fill the position, after Maria Luísa van Zeller in the 1960s; Freitas had already been filling the position in an interim capacity since George reached the age of retirement in October 2017. Immediately after replacing George, she had to deal with a small

chickenpox Chickenpox, also known as varicella ( ), is a highly contagious disease caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), a member of the herpesvirus family. The disease results in a characteristic skin rash that forms small, itchy blisters, which ...

outbreak; as Director-General she was also responsible for the response to two

legionellosis Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often ''Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Nau ...

outbreaks, a

measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...

outbreak, an

-related excess mortality and a

heat wave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

COVID-19 pandemic

Graça Freitas took a high-profile role during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and for that reason became a familiar face to the Portuguese public as she featured in daily televised updates on the pandemic, often alongside

Marta Temido Marta Alexandra Fartura Braga Temido de Almeida Simões (born 2 March 1974) is a Portuguese politician who served as Minister of Health under Prime Minister António Costa, between 15 October 2018 and 10 September 2022. She submitted her resignati ...

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

, and António Lacerda Sales, Secretary of State for Health. She has received criticism for her January 2020 remarks that the disease was no cause for alarm as "there is the smallest chance of person-to-person transmission" and, for that reason, considered "there asnot a great likelihood such a virus

ould Ould is an English surname as well as an element of many Arabic names. In Arabic contexts it is a transliteration of the word wikt:ولد, ولد, meaning "son". Notable people with this surname include: English surname * Edward Ould (1852–190 ...

get to Portugal, as even in China the outbreak adbeen contained", calling concerns about a pandemic "a little bit excessive". This was before the first evidence of human-to-human contagion outside China emerged, and before the

started to acknowledge these dynamics of transmission in late January and early February. The first recorded cases of COVID-19 in the country were confirmed on 2 March. She would later say she was aware of the seriousness of the situation, but admitted not to have envisioned it to take such dramatic sanitary, economic, and social proportions. Freitas herself tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on 1 December 2020, displaying only mild symptoms of the disease. In July 2021, it was reported that she was quarantining at home following a high-risk contact on 9 July, even after having been fully vaccinated, in strict compliance to the guidelines issued by the Directorate-General of Health.

Awards and honours

For her accomplishments as coordinator of the National Vaccination Programme, Graça Freitas was awarded with the Ministry of Health Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Grade, in 2005. In 2002, she received a Commendation (''Louvor'') from the Minister of Health António Correia de Campos, "taking into account the quality of her work regarding transmissible diseases in general and, in particular, those preventable by

." In 1985, she was similarly the recipient of a Commendation due to her work for Lisbon Regional Health Administration's Office for Epidemiology and Studies in containing the last

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

outbreak in the country. In 2002, she received a Certificate of Appreciation and medal from the

Regional Office for Europe, for her contributions to the success of the eradication of indigenous

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

in Portugal and in Europe.

National orders

Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

(16 January 2023)

Personal life

She is married, and has granddaughters. A smoker for over 20 years, she quit smoking in 2000 with the help of

varenicline Varenicline, sold under the brand names Chantix and Champix among others, is a medication used for smoking cessation and for the treatment of dry eye syndrome. It is a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist. When activated, this recep ...

, motivated by Francisco George and by the increasing difficulty in climbing the steep incline of Alameda Dom Afonso Henriques to get to the offices of the Directorate-General of Health. She practices

plant collecting Plant collecting is the acquisition of plant specimens for the purposes of research, cultivation, or as a hobby. Plant specimens may be kept alive, but are more commonly dried and pressed to preserve the quality of the specimen. Plant collectin ...

as a hobby and grows

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

s and her favourite flower,

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s. She also enjoys travelling to visit

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

s. An inveterate reader, her favourite book is V. S. Naipaul's '' A House for Mr Biswas'', which was read to her at the age of four. Her favourite song is ''Estrela do Mar'', by

Jorge Palma Jorge Manuel de Abreu Palma (born 4 June 1950) is a Portuguese singer and songwriter. A well-known and acclaimed songwriter in Portugal, Palma started his solo career in 1972 and was a busker in several cities abroad before settling back in Po ...

. She sleeps from 1 a.m. to half-past 5 a.m. The stress of overseeing all matters of public health in Portugal during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she described as "running a marathon on the

Everest Mount Everest (), known locally as Sagarmatha in Nepal and Qomolangma in Tibet, is Earth's highest mountain above sea level. It lies in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas and marks part of the China–Nepal border at its ...

", made her lose 5 to 6 kilograms in the first month after the start of the outbreak in the country.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freitas, Graca 1957 births Living people 20th-century Portuguese physicians 21st-century Portuguese physicians Grand Crosses of the Order of Merit (Portugal) Portuguese civil servants Portuguese women civil servants Portuguese people of Angolan descent Portuguese public health doctors Portuguese women physicians University of Lisbon alumni Agostinho Neto University alumni Women public health doctors 20th-century Portuguese women physicians 21st-century Portuguese women physicians