Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican Health Minister Ussene Isse has announced that the reduction in external funding has impacted the achievement of goals and universal health coverage, leading to a setback in the country’s achievements.
According to the minister, who was speaking on Wednesday, in Maputo, at the opening of the 18th National Health Conferences, which brought together national and international researchers, as a result of funding reduction, the country has been facing several public health challenges, especially emerging and re-emerging diseases, namely the M-pox (formerly monkey pox) disease, outbreaks of the influenza virus, hemorrhagic conjunctivitis and dengue fever.
“The increased frequency and severity of extreme climate events with serious impacts have also been impacting the country’s health sector. This includes the occurrence of epidemic outbreaks and pandemics, and chronic non-communicable diseases, including cancer, stroke, mental illness, trauma, cardiovascular and lung diseases”, the minister said.
However, Isse added, the government will continue to fight to guarantee universal access to health care “leaving no one behind. It is urgent to build a resilient health system with the capacity to absorb the effects of shocks and ensure the continuity of services.”
“Building a resilient health system requires innovation, maturity, reforms, and transformations. These processes are complex and therefore must be informed by scientific evidence and new knowledge”, he said.
According to Isse, the National Health Conferences, which began in 1976, provide a platform through which policymakers, civil society, and national and international partners present and discuss scientific research results aimed at improving the health of Mozambicans.
This edition, under the motto “Promoting the resilience of the National Health System based on scientific evidence”, features 789 papers to be presented, the highest number of scientific papers in the event’s history, representing a significant increase compared to the previous edition held in 2021, which featured 500 papers.
For his turn, Eduardo Samo Gudo, Director General of the National Health Institute, said that this edition “is one of the most challenging we have ever held”.
“These conferences were initially scheduled for November 2024, then postponed to March 2025, and we are finally holding them this week due to constraints beyond the organization’s control”, he said.
For More News And Analysis About Mozambique Follow Africa-Press
