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Making health care more accessible in Mozambique

Construction work on a health clinic (dispensary) is well underway in Mozambique. PWRDF is fundraising to build three.

October 29, 2018

By Mike Ziemerink

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In Mozambique, it’s not uncommon for a mother with a sick child to have to walk between buildings in sweltering heat or pouring rain to receive the treatment her child needs. Or for a woman to meet with a doctor outside, the shade of a tree her only privacy.

The design of healthcare infrastructure here is rarely built with patient comfort, cost or logistical considerations taken into account. The poor design of the buildings makes seeking treatment more difficult and makes patients less likely to make use of the medical facilities.

This is why PWRDF is working with partner EHALE, as part of our All Mothers and Children Count Program (AMCC) to build three Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) dispensaries in Nampula province. Each dispensary will cost approximately $52,500 to build. With a 6:1 match from Global Affairs Canada, that means a donation of $7,500 is all it takes to complete one dispensary. In the 2018 World of Gifts guide, donors are encouraged to give $2,500 to be a “brick” supporter, $5,000 to be a “mortar” supporter, or $7,500 to be a “brick and mortar” supporter.

The dispensaries will provide lifesaving services for children such as pediatric triage, growth and developing monitoring for children under five and both pre- and post-natal care. The dispensaries will also provide family planning services, helping to build healthy, happy families in Mozambique. Having all of the healthcare services under one roof will reduce costs and allow for greater efficiency.

In 2016, Mozambique slashed health care funding and discontinued mobile medical services. These services provided the most remote and vulnerable women and children with necessary healthcare.

“The need for these dispensaries has been accelerated by elimination of mobile medical services in 2016,” said Richard Librock, PWRDF’s External Funding Program Manager. “They will help the most vulnerable gain access to life saving healthcare.”

The new dispensaries will be built in the same locations as decades-old healthcare centres. Staff and materials from these deteriorating centres will shift to the newly designed clinics. Each centre will also feature water tanks to collect rainwater that will be treated to provide the centres with clean water.

The construction of the first dispensary will allow the project to make adjustments in the building of the others if required as to give the best possible healthcare to mothers and children.

“These dispensaries will be designed with women and children in mind,” says Librock. “They will provide mothers and children with more privacy and the dignity they deserve.”

– with files from Richard Librock