Africa-Press – Cape verde. The Prime Minister inaugurated today the maternity and pediatrics department at Baptista de Sousa Hospital on the island of São Vicente, an 11 million euro investment fully financed by Chinese cooperation, the government announced.
The new hospital unit “represents a milestone in strengthening the National Health System, with a direct impact on maternal and child health in the northern region of the country,” he added in a statement.
The facility will be inaugurated by Ulisses Correia e Silva alongside the newly arrived Chinese ambassador to Cape Verde, Zhang Yang.
The building features modern rooms for surgeries and births, in a 5,550 square meter building spread over four floors and a basement.
The unit will have a capacity of 125 beds and 10 services, including maternity and pediatric emergencies, as well as intensive care.
Maternal mortality rates have declined in Cape Verde since 1990, averaging 54 per 100,000 live births between 2015 and 2020, a much lower ratio than the African region, according to data released by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The organization explains this trend, in part, by universal access to prenatal care (98%) and institutional deliveries by qualified personnel (97%).
Infant mortality rates for children up to one year of age (11.6/1,000 live births) and for children under five (13/1,000 live births) are also low compared to the African average.
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