"Google often tilts the board the wrong way"

Television made him popular, but not a star. Almeida Nunes loves what he does, and in this conversation, for which he opened his home to us, he returns to his roots.

It's been nine years since television first captured his attention. Suddenly, Dr. Almeida Nunes went from being a highly experienced but unknown physician to becoming Portugal's most famous clinician. How does this role feel?

I've never felt like a star, and I never will, in the sense of being that social person who shines and is recognized. That's not part of my DNA. I am, by nature, and from an educational standpoint, a simple and uncomplicated person [pause]. Television found me because I had a long history of communicating with my fellow doctors. But it was very different to speak to a medical tribe and look into the camera and know that on the other side are anonymous Portuguese people I don't know.

Were you afraid you wouldn't be able to?

No. Experiencing something new and stepping out of my comfort zone was very stimulating and always challenging for me. So, I'd say there was some anxiety and butterflies. Then, things grew with Manuel Luís Goucha, Cristina Ferreira, and so on. I became a regular on Casa Feliz, and later, Daniel Oliveira invited me to host my own show on SIC Mulher.

Who is the House Doctor.

Exactly, which is now in its third year. From then on, I began to realize something fundamental: as the years go by, I remain concerned about people's health in general. And I realized that, through television, I could reach more people in a stronger way. But I never felt like a star, and I never would. The holy grail of my communication is to increase health literacy—that is, to make people more aware of their illnesses.

At a time when Dr. Google is a dangerous enemy.

Very well observed. Today, we are indeed living in worrying times, because Dr. Google often tilts the table in the wrong direction, and people come across information that isn't accurate. Often, they come alarmed, other times they come calm when they should be. Therefore, this whole context leads me to the concern of communicating with people so they can have more knowledge, better health, and greater literacy.

Read the full interview in NOVA GENTE. On newsstands now.