Dr. Kety Guambe, Deputy Medical Director, Mozambique, at International SOS
Health is a fundamental human right, yet there are different challenges when it comes to accessing health services in least developed countries, notably due to a lack of infrastructure, qualified human resource personnel and insufficient financial resources, among others, and Mozambique is no different. Yet despite poor health indicators, the country has made significant progress in reducing mortality rates and improving access to primary healthcare services. Advancements have also resulted in improvements in access to health facilities and community‐based interventions, but the demand for care continues to increase.
The Mozambican Ministry of Health provides free access to healthcare through public hospitals and healthcare centres, and in 2019, the President launched the “One District, One Hospital” initiative to establish well-equipped hospitals in 154 districts over a period of five years to service the 30 million population, of which currently only half has limited access to the public health system.
It’s why the International SOS team in Mozambique has been collaborating with the Mozambican Ministry of Health, National Directorate of Medical Assistance, to offer accredited emergency training to healthcare professionals since 2020. So far, Mozambican doctors and nurses working at the public central hospitals of Maputo, Pemba, Quelimane, Nampula and Beira have been trained by our team.
These courses are certified by the American Heart Association (AHA) and include Basic Life Support (BLS) and Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) skills – critical for emergency care treatment and saving lives, considering that strokes and road injuries are both in the top 10 causes of deaths in the country.
Training is delivered by International SOS’ BLS and ACLS instructors at two training centres in Maputo and Pemba. 43 doctors and nurses have directly benefited from this training so far, and the number continues to increase as training expands and skills and acquired knowledge are shared among peers.
These trainings are offered by International SOS trainers. International SOS has been present in Mozambique since 2006, and partners with companies from various industries who want to look after the health and safety of their employees. We are therefore supporting the healthcare needs of the growing expat and foreign workforce in relation with the oil and gas projects in the Northern region of the country.
Ongoing training and multi-level strategies are needed in developing and delivering healthcare today. Additionally, ensuring that trained medical professionals are also readily available in-country will further increase the efficiency of Mozambique’s health system which in turn will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.
