Africa-Press – Mozambique. Local authorities have warned that the Central Hospital in Nampula (HCN), the largest in northern Mozambique, has exhausted its bed capacity and is distributing patients in the corridors as they await the completion and delivery of the new hospital.
“Our hospital is already proving too small, because the bed occupancy rate is above 100%. That is why we have patients in the corridors,” said Graciano Francisco, spokesman for the Provincial Council of State Representation Services, at a press conference.
According to Graciano Francisco, the hospital accommodates more than 900 patients, despite being designed for around 500 beds. He added that only with the completion and delivery of the future Nampula General Hospital will it be possible to relieve the current unit, which, in addition to the province, receives patients from Cabo Delgado, Niassa and part of Zambezia.
“With the completion of the hospital under construction in Natikire, which is expected to start operating in the second half of this year, we will be able to alleviate the occupancy situation at our referral unit in the northern region,” he stressed.
Construction work on the Nampula General Hospital began in 2017 and, after several missed deadlines, was scheduled for completion last April, which was also not met.
This time, the provincial government attributed the delays to the initial contractor’s poor performance, explaining that a new company is now carrying out the work, with results already visible.
“In fact, we had a delay in the completion of this hospital due to the performance of the first contractor. There was a company change, and we are already seeing tangible results. If you go to the site, you will see that the situation is no longer the same as last year. We expect that by the end of this semester, or early next semester, the infrastructure will be handed over to us for use,” said Graciano Francisco.
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