The Minister of Economy and Finance, Max Tonela, said on Thursday (13) that the country must bet on alternative financing models or mechanisms that help boost investments in health infrastructure and improve access to quality care.
“Investment demands impose the need to adopt innovative mechanisms, beyond the traditional financing approaches we are used to. Currently, more than 900 million dollars are needed to realise the ‘One District, One Hospital’ initiative and the country needs more resources to present hospital facilities of excellence”, emphasised the governor.
Speaking during the opening ceremony of the international investment conference for the health sector, the minister said the government should consider robust public-private partnerships that allow access to finance for the construction, expansion and management of infrastructure to help complement the state’s efforts in providing accessible health services.
As a second alternative, Max Tonela said that foreign international investment should be attracted, bringing financial resources, expertise and advanced technology to strengthen the national health sector.
“A third way would be to exchange public debt for investment in health, allocating the resulting amounts to projects to expand the public health network,” he emphasised.
The country currently has 49 district hospitals to serve 154 districts. Therefore, according to the minister, the investment in health aims, fundamentally, to improve the services provided.
At the moment, it is estimated that access to health care is 60%. Forecasts indicate that the rate of population growth will continue to increase in Mozambique in the coming years, substantially impacting the improvement of health indicators.
Based on 2021 statistical data on human resources in this sector, the ratio of professionals per 10,000 inhabitants is 12 professionals, and it is expected to be 25 in 2030. Meanwhile, the standard recommended by the World Health Organisation is 46 health professionals per 10,000 inhabitants.
