[1][2] He graduated with a degree in medicine from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in 1954, and for a time worked as a medic in the Brazilian Navy.
During his time in office, he implemented preventative medicines in public health, created the Hospital Foundation of Paraná, and was so rigorous that he sealed off the restaurant at the state governmental building, the Palácio Iguaçu [pt], for a sanitary inspection.
[3] A member of the PMDB, Paranaguá became a mayoral candidate in Londrina during the 1968 municipal elections and won.
His campaign slogan was "The health of the people is the supreme law", and summarily invested heavily in sanitation and brokered agreements with federal authorities to eradicate endemic diseases at the time, such as schistosomiasis and Chagas disease.
He also invested in the spread of municipal telephone lines and modernized the fleet of public sanitation vehicles.