U.S. Government supports rehabilitation of pediatric health services in Maputo City

Ambassador Dean Pittman and the Governor of Maputo City, Iolanda Cintura Seuane, unveiled the plaque at the delivery ceremony of the Pediatrics of the Albasine Health Center in the framework of a set of pediatric rehabilitation projects developed in eight health units in Maputo.

U.S. Embassy

Avenida Kenneth Kaunda, 193

Caixa Postal, 783

Maputo

MOZAMBIQUE

PRESS RELEASE

U.S. Government supports rehabilitation of pediatric health services in Maputo City

April 30, 2018 – MAPUTO.  U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique Dean Pittman participated in a ceremony to officially deliver to city health authorities a set of pediatric rehabilitation projects developed in eight health facilities in Maputo.

Ambassador Pittman giving remarks at Albasine pediatric health unit
Ambassador Dean Pittman delivers his speech during the handover of the Pediatrics of the Albasine Health Center as part of a series of pediatric rehabilitation projects developed in eight health units in Maputo.

To mark the celebration, in separate events, Ambassador Pittman visited the Albazine and Zimpeto health centers with Maputo City Governor Iolanda Cintura Seuane and the President of the Maputo Municipal Council David Simango, namely, two of the eight facilities that benefited from the rehabilitation projects.  The other beneficiary facilities are the general hospitals of Chamanculo and José Macamo, and the health centers of José Macamo, Pescadores, Bagamoyo and Magoanine Tendas.

Representing a U.S. Government investment of more than $600.000, the rehabilitation projects were funded by Children’s HIV/AIDS Treatment (ACT) Initiative, a two-year program launched in 2014 with the aim of dramatically increasing the number of children receiving life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative was implemented in nine countries, including Mozambique, through the U.S. President´s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Ambassador Pittman and Maputo Council President David Simango cutting the ribbon at Zimpeto Pediatric health unit
Ambassador Dean Pittman and Maputo City Council Chairman David Simango cut the ribbon at the pediatric unit of the Zimpeto Health Center in Maputo.

The rehabilitation projects developed new reception and waiting areas, as well as clinical consultation rooms that increase the facilities’ capacity to offer comprehensive HIV services, including, counselling and testing, pre- and post-natal care, and psychosocial support.

These renovations are part of a comprehensive assistance to the National HIV Response Program.  Funded by the U.S. Government, this support is coordinated through a partnership between the local health authorities (DPS) in the city of Maputo and the Center for Collaboration in Health, with technical assistance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Ambassador Pittman and Maputo Municipal Council David Simango in guide tour to the pediatric unit at Zimpeto Health Center
Ambassador Pittman and the Chairman of Maputo City Council, David Simango, on a guided tour of the pediatric unit at the Zimpeto Health Center.

Identifying children living with HIV, and ensuring those diagnosed receive needed care and treatment services are top priorities for the program, which currently provides antirretroviral services to more than 6,700 children under 15 years-old in Maputo City.

PEPFAR in Mozambique is implemented by the U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Peace Corps.

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

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