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Veracel Celulose and the Government of Bahia sign agreement to eradicate leprosy in the Extreme South of the state - 05.10.04
Photo: Roberto Viana
Veracel Celulose will invest R$ 1.4 million to eradicate leprosy and combat tuberculosis in ten municipalities in the extreme south of the state of Bahia, in its area of influence. The President of Veracel, Vitor Costa, and Governor Paulo Souto signed an agreement to this effect on May 10 in Salvador, the state capital. Under the accord, during the next two years health programs will be run in the municipalities of Eunápolis, Belmonte, Guaratinga, Itabela, Itapebi, Itagimirim, Porto Seguro, Santa Cruz Cabrália, Canavieiras and Santa Luzia.
Participating in the signing ceremony were the State Health Secretary, José Antonio Rodrigues Alves, the State Industry, Commerce and Mining Secretary, Otto Alencar, Senator Antonio Carlos Magalhães (PFL) and Federal and State congressmen, and the mayors of the cities involved.
Costa noted that Veracel’s initiative is part of a universal trend of contemporary companies that have based their growth on the principle of sustainability — that is, through perfect integration with the communities in which they are inserted. “We have observed the needs of the municipalities located around us and we understand that it is our duty to collaborate with government to improve the living conditions of the communities. This is so because as of the moment the company sets itself up in a region, it becomes a part of it.”
Besides the agreement with the state health department, Veracel has been investing in other actions in the extreme south of Bahia, especially in the fields of health, safety and education. The company intends to invest a further R$ 10 million in infrastructure and social action projects in the ten municipalities that surround it.
Gov. Souto pointed to Veracel Celulose as an example of a socially responsible company. He emphasized that through the agreement with the Health Secretariat the company is also investing in the state, generating jobs and injecting wealth into the economy of the entire southern region. He also said Veracel’s actions demonstrated concern about the communities and social questions.
“Government and private initiative are taking an important step. However, in order to achieve the goals proposed in this program, the engagement of local city governments and the communities themselves also is required for the fruits of this partnership to be translated into continuous health assistance and improvement in the quality of life of those benefited,” the governor said.
According to Health Secretary Alves, the agreement will benefit 417,000 persons through personal and family health programs. He said the target was to eradicate leprosy entirely from the region within two years and to reduce the recurrence of tuberculosis by 50%.
Of the total amount invested by Veracel, R$ 916,000 will be passed along to the State Health Fund. The remainder will be invested in logistics and execution of the project, which calls for multidiscipline health teams will are trained in the early detection of leprosy and tuberculosis.