The government assumed this Friday, February 7, that the suspension of US international aid ‘compromises’ health programmes in Mozambique, especially HIV/AIDS, and that it is in ‘dialogue’ with the US embassy to ‘mitigate the impacts’.
‘The sudden withdrawal of this support somehow compromises the efficiency of the implementation of these programmes. The US government’s support finances a considerable part of the provision of health professionals and especially in the area of HIV/AIDS care,’ said Inocêncio Impissa, government spokesman and Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, during a press conference in Maputo.
Recognising the ‘seriousness of the measure’ announced by US President Donald Trump, he nevertheless guaranteed the continuity of essential health services, urging the population not to panic.
The minister, quoted by Lusa, said that the suspension of funding also has implications for the purchase and distribution of medicines, and stressed the importance of support to maintain strategic and priority health programmes in the country, such as the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, among other diseases.
‘Both the central and regional warehouses are going to experience some overcrowding of medicines over the next few days because the logistics of transporting them to the points where they need to be distributed has broken down,’ he said, adding that the ratio of health professionals to inhabitants is also at stake.
According to the minister, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has established a ratio of 45 health professionals per ten thousand inhabitants, but Mozambique has just over 18 professionals per ten thousand inhabitants.
‘We are a long way off and this suspension of support is naturally a huge challenge if we are to reach this target,’ said Inocêncio Impissa.
‘The government has started a dialogue with the United States of America to reverse or mitigate the scenario of the suspension of funding, but also to mobilise alternative sources of funding,’ added Inocêncio Impissa.
The minister also said that it will be necessary to define priorities and optimise the country’s existing resources in order to minimise the impact of the suspension of funding on essential services.
‘We need to prioritise what should not be missed during the period in which this measure is in place, but also explore emergency funding mechanisms to guarantee the continuity of critical services until a durable and sustainable solution is found,’ said the Executive spokesman.
In the first days of his second term, US President Donald Trump suspended all international aid for 90 days, with the exception of humanitarian food programmes and military aid to Israel and Egypt.
Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to be the region most affected by this decision. Mozambique, for example, was allocated tens of millions of dollars for HIV/AIDS and emergency food programmes in 2023.
