Maputo — The Mozambican government is investing in expanding the health network throughout the country, through building new district hospitals, to bring better care to the most vulnerable population groups, Health Minister Armindo Tiago said on Thursday.
Speaking at the opening in Maputo of a meeting of his Ministry’s Coordinating Council, Tiago said that during the current government’s term of office (2020 to 2024), the number of district hospitals will increase by 75 per cent, from 65 to 114. This will provide 4,000 new hospital beds, he added, and will provide greater access to emergency surgical care.
“The building jobs currently under way and others that will begin in this cycle of governance, involve the construction and equipping of 49 hospitals, which will benefit an estimated total population of 7.62 million people”, said the Minister.
To ensure that the hospitals really are built, Tiago added, the government has identified “innovative strategies for mobilizing state resources, as well as the establishment of public-private partnerships”.
Tiago said it is also crucial to increase the number of people working in the Mozambican health service. He wanted to see the number of health professionals increase from 11 to 17 per 10,000 inhabitants.
For her part, the Secretary of State for Maputo city, Sheila Santana, said the city has a large number of infections and deaths from the Covid-19 respiratory disease, because Maputo is the gateway to the country.
She believed that Maputo city has far and away the largest number of contaminations of any province because it is a major economic centre, and because all central level services are concentrated here,
She urged all residents to obey the measures decreed by the health ministry to prevent the spread of Covid-19 – such as regular hand washing, the obligatory wearing of masks in public places, social distancing and restrictions on the number of people who are allowed to attend events.