Brasilia, 22 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The ceremony for the transfer of the post of Minister of Health from Jose Serra to Barjas Negri on Thursday was marked by emotion. Serra received a standing ovation from an audience of 500 people - including cabinet ministers, legislators, governors and ministry staff - and shed a few tears at the beginning of his speech. He declared that in his 40 years in government service, he never felt as gratified in a post as he did as Minister of Health.
Serra also declared that, if he had to establish a goal for the future, it would be to reduce the nation's infant mortality rate to 20 for every 1,000 live births by the middle of the next decade. He stressed that, in the last decade, the Brazilian government already managed to reduce this number from 50 to 30 deaths per 1,000 live births, saving the lives of 130,000 children. (MW)