Maputo, 16 Feb – The Manhiça District Hospital, in the southern Mozambican province of Maputo, has announced that its operating theatre is being forced to function with restrictions because of shortages of hygiene material and cleaning supplies.
In a statement, the district authorities claimed that the difficulties in acquiring hygiene and cleaning products is related to the failure to release funds to pay expenses settled in the e-SISTAFE [Electronic System for State Financial Administration]. The problem in question also affects the Xinavane Rural Hospital.
“Due to the lack of money to purchase supplies of hygiene material, the operating room is functioning with restrictions because it does not have clean hospital linen, a situation that has forced the transfer of some patients to Maputo Central Hospital, the largest health facility in the country. At this time, only priority or extremely urgent procedures are being performed”, reads the document.
In order to minimize the problem, the Manhiça District Government has called for public support so that the missing hospital materials, especially washing powder for the hospital laundry, may be acquired.
The lack of working material is one of the reasons that the United Association of Mozambican Health Workers (APSUSM) has used to justify going on strike. APSUSM is also demanding a wage increase and the payment of overtime arrears, and recently attacked the government’s decision to pay its employees only 40 per cent of the traditional end-of-year bonus, which is an extra month of the basic wage, commonly known as “the thirteenth month”.
APSUSM claims that, In addition to cleaning supplies, most health units also lack the food products needed to prepare meals for hospitalized patients, as well as medical and surgical supplies, reagents, and medicines.
(AIM)
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