The populations of Ngaúma and Mecanhelas districts in Mozambique’s Niassa province are set to benefit from improved healthcare services following the launch of a project to construct two new district hospitals, budgeted at approximately US$21 million (MT1.34 billion) and financed by the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), according to the Mozambique Information Agency.
The project was officially launched this week in Maputo during a workshop that brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, BADEA, and the Niassa Provincial Health Services, marking the start of the initiative’s implementation phase.
At the opening of the workshop, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Ivan Manhiça, speaking on behalf of the minister, stated that the investment forms part of the government’s efforts to expand and modernise the national health network and improve public access to healthcare.
‘Each hospital to be built will mean better care conditions, greater access to health services, reduced distances travelled by patients, and an increase in the response capacity of the National Health System,’ he said.
The two hospitals will be designed to provide emergency and urgent care, maternal and child health services, inpatient care, diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. The project also includes the equipping of clinical, administrative, and surgical areas, the procurement of ambulances, and the training of health professionals to ensure the operational readiness of the new facilities.
According to Ivan Manhiça, the financing granted by BADEA demonstrates the confidence of international partners in the government’s strategy for strengthening the health sector.
‘The construction of these two hospitals materialises the government’s vision of consolidating a stronger, more accessible, modern, and effective National Health System capable of responding to the needs of the Mozambican people,’ he said.
BADEA representative Sameh Azzuz noted that the financing was approved in 2023 and is now entering the construction execution phase.
‘We wish for a successful execution of this project, which is of great importance to the Government of Mozambique, to BADEA, and to the strengthening of the partnership between both parties,’ he declared.
Since the start of its cooperation with Mozambique, BADEA has financed 62 operations totalling approximately US$366 million (MT23.4 billion) directed at various development sectors.
For the Director of Niassa Provincial Health Services, Narciso Rondinho, the new infrastructure will have a direct impact on the province’s healthcare response capacity, reducing the need to transfer patients to other hospital units.
He explained that a significant proportion of surgical patients treated at the Cuamba District Hospital come from Mecanhelas, a situation expected to ease once the new facility becomes operational.
‘With this investment, we will have greater local response capacity, which represents an enormous added value for the province,’ he said.
The Mecanhelas District Hospital will have a capacity of 150 beds, while the Ngaúma unit will accommodate 100 beds. Construction is scheduled to begin in July 2027 and is expected to be completed by December 2028.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=528180
