Mozambique

Project Goal:
To improve the quality of life and provide access to health services, particularly access to maternal-child healthcare and anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS, Tuberculosis and other diseases.  To provide access to healthcare in remote areas of Zambézia Province, Mozambique, especially those areas devastated by the floods of 2007 and 2008.

Project Objectives:
To increase the number of people with access to health services as well as the number of those referred to ARV services in the targeted areas.

Activities this quarter have included two areas: a) routine support to Macuse and Mexixine localities in Namacurra District through the planned Mobile Clinic visits; b) participation in health fairs at specific events in the province, namely:

• February 12, 2011: Health Fair – Mocuba District as part of the Day of Mocuba City, in coordination with the District Health Directorate. The central ceremony was conducted by the President of the Municipality of Mocuba, Rogério Gaspar.
• March 24, 2011: Health Fair – Derre locality, Morrumbala District as part of World Tuberculosis Day, in coordination with the District Health Directorate. The central ceremony was conducted by the Zambézian Health Director, Dr. Alberto João Baptista.
• March 29, 2011: Health Fair – Nante locality, Maganja da Costa District as part of the launch of the National Family Planing Campaign in coordination with the Provincial and District Health Directorate. The main ceremony was conducted by the First Lady of Mozambique, Maria da Luz Guebuza, who once again visited the Mobile Clinic and received information about its activities. The First Lady praised once again the fact that the Mobile Clinic participates in Health Fairs. The Mobile Clinic was also visited by the Provincial Health Director, Chief Medical Officer and other authorities from Quelimane and Maputo cities.

Photo above: First Lady of Mozambique visits our Mobile Health Fair for second time

c) Additional activities, including:

• Supervision of the Health Units of Muceliua and Mexixine by District health staff responsible for pharmacy, laboratory, vaccination and the MCH program
• Drugs kits distribution to the Health Units of Macuse, Malei, Mexixine and Mugubia
• Visit to the community of Naciaia with the Community Intervention Assistant to participate in a meeting with 30 women from a local women’s group called “Egumi Naciaia”

Quarterly results – Routine support activities, including numbers from Health Fairs

Number served/number of direct project beneficiaries:

2,718 people were directly reached through activities implemented during the reporting period with the Mobile Clinic (1,908 individuals through MC services, 810 through IEC materials).
 

13,590 (direct beneficiaries times 5) people may have benefitted from relevant outreach and clinical activities implemented with Real Medicine Foundation/Medical Mission International support.

MOBILE MEDICINE SUCCESS STORY

Transportation in rural Africa is not always easy to identify. In the rural outreaches of Namacurra District, the Health Units and Posts that exist far from the main District Health Center know this all too well. At times, the simple lack of transportation can delay arrival of life-saving medicine, equipment and supplies.

In response to this, the Mobile Clinic, sponsored by Medical Mission International, has alleviated some of these issues by collaborating with the District Health Center to transport drugs, mosquito nets, training materials and other supplies, such as register books and patient forms, with each journey from Quelimane.

In most of the districts of Zambézia Province, the distances between the District Health Directorate and the peripheral Health Units and Health Post are significantly far, and the lack of transportation and infrastructure for delivering essential materials forces each district to either wait until transport is available or make other arrangements to the best of their ability. Through the support of MMI, RMF/FGH is able to improve such conditions for Namacurra District.

Staff members at the health posts are always eager to receive the Mobile Clinic, not only for the health services provided to the community, but for the valuable cargo transported inside.