Maria do Céu Sarmento

From 1976 to 1982 Sarmento attended primary school, then junior high school for two years, and from 1986 to 1988 secondary school. Sarmento studied from 1989 at the Faculty of Medicine of Udayana University in Bali, Indonesia, and graduated in 1996.[1]

From 1996 to 2001, Sarmento worked as an assistant physician in the Medical Department of the National Hospital in Dili,[1] which from 1999 was under the direction of the International Red Cross. From 2001 to 2006, she was general assistant physician in the same hospital.[1] Then she attended a course at the National School of Public Health in Havana, Cuba, from February to June 2009.[1] From 2009 to 2011 she was then Coordinator for Bilateral Affairs with Cuba, as well as Technical Assistant at the Ministry of Health of East Timor.[1] Since 2011, Sarmento has been Deputy Dean of Academic Affairs and lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Medical Science of the National University of East Timor (UNTL) in Dili.[1]

Sarmento was a treasurer at the East Timor Medical Association (ETMA) from 2000 to 2005, president in 2005, and a consultant since 2006.[1]

In 2012, she was sworn in as Vice Minister of Health for Management, Assistance and Resources in the V Constitutional Government of East Timor.[2] After the government reshuffle of 2015, she was appointed Minister of Health in the VI Constitutional Government of East Timor,[3] being sworn in on 16 February. In 2017, Rui Maria de Araújo replaced Sarmento as Minister of Health in the new government.

Sarmento is married. She is fluent in Tetum, Malay, Portuguese and Spanish. She also speaks English.[1]

• 2002 – Woman of the year in the field of health of Queen Entertainment Timor, Dili[1]
• July 2003 to June 2004 – Best doctor of National Hospital Guido Valadares[1]