Dr. Carlitos Gomes Júnior

Dr. Carlitos Gomes Júnior is one of Guinea-Bissau's most experienced general practitioners, based at Hospital Nacional Simão Mendes — the country's principal national referral hospital in Bissau. Over a career spanning more than 15 years, Dr. Gomes Júnior has been on the front lines of primary care delivery in a country where physician density remains among the lowest in West Africa. His daily clinical work involves managing the full spectrum of tropical and infectious diseases that disproportionately affect Guinea-Bissau's population, including malaria, cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis, alongside chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes that are increasingly prevalent in urban Bissau. Dr. Gomes Júnior is known for his patient-centred approach and his ability to work effectively within the resource constraints typical of Guinea-Bissau's public health system. He regularly participates in community outreach campaigns coordinated through the Ministry of Public Health, providing education on disease prevention, hygiene, and nutrition to peri-urban communities around Bissau. His breadth of clinical experience across preventive, curative, and rehabilitative care makes him a trusted figure among both colleagues and patients.

Dr. Gomes Júnior completed his Licenciatura em Medicina from the Universidade Agostinho Neto in Luanda, Angola — a common training pathway for Guinea-Bissauan physicians given the shared Portuguese language and historical academic ties. He subsequently obtained a Diploma em Saúde Pública through a collaboration programme supported by the World Health Organization and the CPLP (Community of Portuguese Language Countries). He has attended continuing medical education workshops organised by Médecins Sans Frontières and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), keeping his clinical practice current with evolving treatment guidelines for tropical infectious diseases.

Dr. Gomes Júnior's clinical expertise centres on the diagnosis and management of febrile illnesses in Guinea-Bissau, where malaria remains the leading cause of hospital admissions. He is proficient in rapid diagnostic testing, microscopy interpretation, and the management of uncomplicated and severe malaria in adults and children. Beyond infectious disease, he carries out comprehensive primary care consultations, chronic disease monitoring for hypertensive and diabetic patients, antenatal screening, and minor surgical procedures including wound debridement and abscess drainage. He also manages patients with HIV/AIDS in collaboration with the national antiretroviral therapy programme, ensuring adherence counselling and co-infection screening for tuberculosis.

Dr. Gomes Júnior has contributed to epidemiological data collection for WHO Guinea-Bissau and the national malaria control programme. He has co-authored internal surveillance reports on malaria case trends in the Biombo and Cacheu regions and contributed clinical data to multi-country tropical disease studies coordinated through ECOWAS health networks. His emphasis is on translating research findings into improved frontline clinical protocols at Simão Mendes Hospital.

Dr. Gomes Júnior consults in Portuguese and Guinea-Bissau Creole (Crioulo), enabling him to communicate effectively with the country's diverse ethnic communities including Balanta, Fula, and Mandinka patients. For members of the Guinea-Bissauan diaspora — particularly those living in Portugal, Senegal, or France returning home for visits — he provides health assessments, tropical disease screening, and vaccination catch-up services. He is familiar with the health documentation requirements for patients seeking onward referral to hospitals in Senegal or Portugal for specialist care unavailable in Guinea-Bissau.

Dr. Gomes Júnior has been recognised by the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Public Health for sustained service during cholera outbreaks affecting Bissau in consecutive rainy seasons. He received a commendation from the national malaria control programme for his work in community case management training and has been acknowledged by Médecins Sans Frontières for collaborative support during emergency health interventions in the country.