Mozambique: MISA praises openness of Health Ministry

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Mozambique: MISA praises openness of Health Ministry
Mozambique: MISA praises openness of Health Ministry

Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) on Thursday delivered a certificate of merit to the Ministry of Health, praising it as “the most open institution” in the country in 2021.

MISA had assessed the readiness of Mozambican public institutions to provide information, in line with the Mozambican freedom of information law, and found that the Health Ministry had the best record for respecting the law.

MISA chairperson Fernando Goncalves said that the Ministry replies to requests for information within the 21 days stipulated by the law, and does not ask applicants what they intend to use the data for.

In a MISA press release, Goncalves congratulated the Ministry for making information regularly available to the public, particularly through its website and other digital channels.

On receiving the certificate of merit, Health Minister Armindo Tiago said it was a recognition of the professionalism shown by the Ministry’s workers at all levels.

“As the Health Ministry, we promise to continue to provide more and better information to citizens, as a way of valuing this recognition”, said Tiago.

He added that one of the Ministry’s concerns is that there should be coordinated work between journalists and health professionals, in a context of growing demand for accurate and good quality information about the Covid-19 pandemic, and to combat disinformation about the disease.

The Health Ministry provides daily updates on the Covid-19 situation in Mozambique – reporting the latest figures on the number of cases, hospitalisations and deaths, the positivity rate, the number of active cases, and, in recent weeks, the progress of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

This daily flow of information is unprecedented in Mozambique. No other government institution has ever voluntarily provided so much information to the public, day after day.

Senior staff from the Ministry, and from its research branch, the National Health Institute (INS), have made themselves available to reporters, and have never refused to answer questions (except concerning the identity of Covid-19 victims).

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