PRESS RELEASE 

U.S. Embassy Partners with Matola Provincial Hospital to Install Oxygen Systems to Treat COVID-19 Patients 

March 11, 2021 – The U.S. Government contributed seven million meticais to help install new oxygen systems at the Provincial Hospital of Matola.  Four newly renovated wards with 24 beds are now equipped to treat severe cases of COVID-19 in Maputo Province.  

At the March 8 inauguration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Country Director Alfredo Vergara said, “This U.S. Government investment is part of a broad program to help strengthen Mozambique’s resilience to the pandemic.”

The U.S. Government investment is funded through U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and implemented by CDC-Mozambique and the ARIEL Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  Maputo Province State Secretary Vitória Diogo, CDC Country Director Vergara, Matola District Administrator Anastácia Quitane, Maputo Province Health Services Director Yolanda Santos, Maputo Province Health Director Daniel Chemane, and Matola Provincial Hospital Director Artur Machava all attended the March 8 inauguration ceremony.

The U.S. Government’s COVID-19 assistance supports the Government of Mozambique’s efforts to provide quality health care to all Mozambicans and represents a critical component of broader U.S. Government assistance.  More than $20.4 million in funding has gone to equipment and supplies for healthcare facilities and staff, 50 ventilators for use nationwide, call center and response team set up, and technical assistance and training to support the Mozambican Government respond to the global pandemic, among other activities.  The U.S. Government also invested $3.7 million to help ensure Mozambique’s readiness to receive and distribute COVID-19 vaccines, following COVAX requirements.

Additionally, U.S. President Joe Biden announced $4 billion to support the international vaccine facility COVAX, which facilitates global access to COVID-19 vaccines.  This investment will benefit 92 countries, including Mozambique, which received its first batch of 380,000 vaccines through this mechanism on March 8.

In close collaboration with the Government of Mozambique, the U.S. Government allocates more than $500 million in annual assistance to improve the quality of education and health care, promote economic prosperity, and support the nation’s overall development.

For more information about this press release, please contact the U.S. Embassy Maputo Press Office at MaputoPress@state.gov.

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