Beneficiaries of Brazil's Bolsa Família programme will have access to free medicines

Beneficiaries of the Brazilian government's Bolsa Família programme will be able to receive the 40 medicines available free of charge under the Farmacia Popular programme. The initiative increases access to pharmaceutical care for 55 million Brazilians. The programme was re-launched the day before by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Recife.

According to the president, the government's proposal is to increasingly include new drugs in the list of drugs provided by the programme, offering "opportunities for people to live longer, to cure their illnesses". This is what Toda Palavra, a partner of the TV BRICS network, reports.

"Treating illnesses today is very expensive. Any medicine requires a lot of money, but taking care of your health is not an expense. I don't spend money, I invest in the poor. Taking care of people's health is an investment. A person who has good health is happier, works more, produces more, takes better care of the things they have to do," he added.

"Taking care of vulnerable people is the best investment we can make in any country in the world," Lula concluded.