Visa Crisis Cancels International Pharmacy Summit in Portugal
A major international training program for pharmaceutical professionals from Portuguese-speaking countries has been forced to cancel its upcoming session in Coimbra after dozens of participants were unable to secure visas from Portuguese consulates.
The annual event, organized by the Lusophone Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (ALCF), was set to host 43 pharmacists and technicians from Guinea-Bissau and Angola this July. However, persistent bureaucratic hurdles and a broken appointment system have left the professionals stranded, leading the organization to pull the plug on the event.
“Impossible” Visa Hurdles
Paulo Pedro Matos, founder of the ALCF, told the Lusa news agency that obtaining the necessary travel documents for Portugal has become an increasingly insurmountable challenge. Matos highlighted that the situation deteriorated significantly after consular services were outsourced to private companies.
According to Matos, online scheduling platforms are frequently unavailable, creating a vacuum filled by intermediary companies that charge high fees to secure appointments. This occurs despite the ALCF providing formal invitation letters and rigorous proof of the training program’s legitimacy to consular authorities.
“We sent letters to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but after receiving no response, we had no choice but to cancel the event scheduled for July 20 to 24,” Matos stated.
Impact on Global Health
The cancellation is viewed as a blow to public health efforts in West and Central Africa. The 31 participants from Guinea-Bissau and 12 from Angola intended to use the training at the University of Coimbra’s Faculty of Pharmacy to improve the quality of medicine distribution and clinical services in their home countries.
For many, this was a second attempt at attending the program. The group from Guinea-Bissau included professionals who had already failed to secure visas for the previous year’s edition and had their registrations rolled over to 2026. Even those with prior experience traveling within the Schengen area—including the 12 Angolan participants—found themselves blocked by the current system.
A Mission Stalled
Founded in 2017, the ALCF is dedicated to fostering scientific advancement across the nine Portuguese-speaking nations (Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste). Through these annual sessions, the academy aims to bridge the gap in pharmaceutical education and improve the quality of life for populations in developing Lusophone nations.
The Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs was contacted for comment regarding the visa delays but has yet to issue a response.
Image: Pexels – Marta Branco
