The Institute of Health Sciences

The Institute of Health Sciences (ICS) was established in 2012. It is a private university institute established by the Grace of God Foundation. Its main founder is the current president of the Grace of God Foundation, Dr António Domingos Moreira.

The institution is registered with the Ministry of Finance of East Timor under certificate no. 53/DNRN-MJ/XII/2011. ICS has three campuses located in different geographical areas: its current headquarters are in Moris Foun, Comoro, Dili, East Timor (Headquarters/Campus A). Campus B is in Manumeta Raihun, Villa-Verde, while Campus C is in Aimutin.

It was under the Organic Statute of the Ministry of Health, Government Decree No. 5/2003, of 31 December, that the National Centre for Professional and Continuing Training was created, with the aim of promoting the continuous training and professional improvement of health workers. As the Ministry of Health was also responsible at the time for initial and comprehensive training in the area of health, in addition to the attributions granted to the National Centre for Professional and Continuing Training, and in need of non-university higher education training, the Institute of Health Sciences was created to replace the National Centre for Professional Training, which encompassed both types of education (Law No. 2, 2005).

However, the Statute of the Institute of Health Sciences, created by Decree-Law No. 2/2005, was amended so that it could be integrated into the university-level courses of the National University of Timor-Lorosae (Law No. 16, 2010). The Ministry of Health transformed the National Institute of Health (INS) into a “National Institute for Continuous Training and Improvement of Health Professionals, aimed at the continuous in-service training of health professionals, leaving basic training to educational establishments with a vocation for this” (Law No. 9, 2011).

Thus, considering the rich history of the Institute of Health Sciences and its potential to serve the community and the country as a whole, in 2012 the ICS was established as a private higher education institution, constituting itself as “a personalised service, a legal person under public law, endowed with legal personality and administrative, financial and patrimonial autonomy” (Law no. 2, 2005, art. 1). 1), whose mission is “the training and retraining of health professionals in the areas and levels that the health system needs” (Law no. 2, 2005, art. 3), and whose attributions include “supporting the Ministry of Health in formulating education and training policy in the health area”, as well as “coordinating and implementing non-university education and professional training policy in the health area” (Ibidem).

Since the institution was privatised, the years 2016 and 2020 have been crucial, since in 2016 the institution was licensed and initially accredited through Ministerial Diploma No. 4/GM-ME/XII/2016-Serie I, No. 4, 109-110.
In 2020, Institutional Accreditation was carried out, the results of which were announced in the Official Gazette of 26 May 2021, 472-474 and in Ministerial Diploma No. 35/2021 of 26 May.

In late 2022 and early 2023, the ICS began preparations for the creation of the Statutes of the future Research Centre of the Institute of Health Sciences (CIICS) and the creation of a scientific journal of the institution, Timor-Leste Journal of Medical Sciences, as well as a team of researchers in the area of health sciences and education.

ICS’s mission is to promote the integral fulfilment of its students, through training with high quality standards, which meets the dignity and physical and moral integrity of the human person.

To train highly qualified health professionals, capable of rising to any situation and adversity.

To provide all students with lifelong learning in technology, education and health, through appropriate training and research programmes in specialised scientific areas.

ICS aims to be a private higher education institution of national and international reference, with the exclusive concern of training responsible and competent health professionals, with a global and multidisciplinary vision of the health sciences.

To defend and promote what is enshrined in the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in terms of health and education, in order to provide the best service to the country, health institutions, the community, families and all people.

President of the Grace of God Foundation
António Domingos Moreira | antoniomoreira@jmedicalsciences.tl

Rector of the Institute of Health Sciences (ICS)
Domingos Soares | domingossoares@jmedicalsciences.tl

Vice-Rector I of the ICS
Adelino Nuno da Conceição | adelinoconceicao@jmedicalsciences.tl

Vice-Rector II of the ICS
Herculano dos Reis Pinto | herculanopinto@jmedicalsciences.tl

Vice-Rector I of ICS
Bebiana Auxiliadora Belo | bebianabelo@jmedicalsciences.tl

Head of the Nursing Department
Carmelita Barros (Master’s degree)
Hermiana Ernastin Tobi (Bachelor’s degree)

Head of the Pharmacy Department
Cipriana Gusmão

Head of the Department of Biomedical and Laboratory Sciences
Crispin de A. Afonso

Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Jenny Palulun

Head of the Obstetrics Department (Midwife)
Merlin C. Ferreira

Director of Finance ICS
Manuela do Rosário S. de Sá Ximenes | manuelarosario@jmedicalsciences.tl

Head of Quality Control ICS
Gonzalo Teixeira | gonzaloteixeira@jmedicalsciences.tl

General
info@jmedicalsciences.tl

Timor-Leste Journal of medical Sciences
revista@jmedicalsciences.tl