Africa-Press – Mozambique. Residents of Maringanha neighbourhood in Pemba, northern Mozambique, are concerned about the delay in the start of operations at the new local health centre. Built about a year ago, it remains closed, while the population has to travel more than 10 kilometres for health care.
According to the 2017 population census, Maringanha has 6,000 inhabitants. The number has risen to around 10,000 with the arrival of victims of terrorism.
Access to health services is a matter of concern for the population. The government built a health centre in the neighbourhood but, despite being completed, it has not yet entered into service. “The infrastructure is getting old, when will it serve us?” asks Maringanha resident Fátima Sebo.
Medical care is far
Another resident, Faque Juma, says that, to access medical care, he has to go to the Eduardo Mondlane or Natite health centres, about seven and 12 kilometres away respectively.
“It costs about 1,000 meticais for someone to take us to hospital during the night. We hoped, with this health centre, to be rid of this [cost], and redirect this amount to other family needs,” Juma says.
Fátima Sebo, who lives near the newly built health centre, says that the building “shelters criminals” who take advantage of its vacancy to commit crimes.
“Suffering is not lacking, because disease does not wait. When we are sick, we have no option but to stay at home and buy pills here in the neighbourhood,” Assane Aidaque says.
What the authorities say
But residents’ complaints have reached the provincial authorities. The provincial director of Health, Magid Sabune, explains that lack of medical and surgical equipment is delaying the opening of the health unit.
According to Magid Sabune, tenders for construction and the acquisition of equipment should have been launched at the same time. “For some reason, the tender for the equipment was not launched at the time, and what is happening now is that, together with the Ministry [of Health], we are making arrangements to acquire the equipment for the health centre,” he explains.
