Ombudsman concerned at illegal charges in health system

Maputo, 20 Mar (AIM) – The ombudsman, Isac Chande, on Tuesday expressed his concern about illegal charges demanded of users of the Mozambican National Health System (SNS).

The ombudsman expressed this concern during a working visit to the José Macamo General Hospital (HGJM), in Maputo city, claiming that illegal charges affect the majority of health units in the country.

“I heard from the hospital director, Ermelinda Chamba, that there is a huge effort to minimize the issues that have to do with illegal charges and other forms of corruption here at the hospital”, Chande told reporters.

In order to minimize the problem, he said, there is a need to improve surveillance, and “that’s what we’ve come here to do, to encourage our health colleagues to do their utmost so that even if the conditions of the physical building aren’t the best, people can still find the bare minimum.”

Chande is optimistic about the hospital’s services, saying that better conditions are already being created for patients, which is why he is eagerly awaiting the completion of the rehabilitation of this health unit.

“We know that the National Health Service works under very challenging conditions, but we need to get closer to our colleagues on a day-to-day basis so that they can give their best and so that we gradually reduce bad practices such as illicit charges”, he said.

Chande noted that the HGJM was built 102 years ago and therefore urgently needs to be rehabilitated.

“The physical structure of the hospital is not in a good state, but the good news is that at the moment the hospital is benefiting from a thorough rehabilitation with funds from the World Bank and there are already areas in the hospital that are being worked on”, he said.

For her part, the HGJM director said that, in addition to illegal charges, this health unit also faces shortage of professionals, including doctors, to meet the demand for medical care.

“At least two doctors in each sector would minimize the demand for medical care at the hospital”, she said.

(AIM)

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