Ondjiva - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, inaugurated, this Friday, the General Hospital of Cunene 'General Simione Mucune', with a capacity for 220 beds for hospitalizations.
The government spent about 52 million euros to build this hospital in an area of 60,000 square meters during three years.
The hospital has 26 blocks, four inpatient units, an equal number of operating rooms, hemodialysis rooms with 12 chairs, a blood bank, psychiatric inpatient care and eight residences for doctors.
The largest health unit in the province also has seven wards linked to hospitalization, pediatrics, maternity, operating room, emergency room, microbiology laboratory, Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) room, pharmacy and waiting rooms.
The Hospital will provide hemodialysis, psychiatry, endoscopy, biology, pediatrics, obstetrics, ophthalmology, stomatology, hemodialysis, surgeries, among others.
With the entry into operation of the Ondjiva Hospital, the province of Cunene now has 158 health units, including a General Hospital, one of the Catholic Mission of Chiulo, six municipal hospitals, 107 health posts and 44 health centers.
Human resources
The human resources component that will ensure the operation of the new hospital in Ondjiva is taken care of.
To this end, 45 doctors have done various specialties outside the province and others at the local level.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Health mobilized some more experienced specialists to ensure the services of the new hospital.
Employees will gradually be hired, until the normal staff, which is more than 1,300 professionals, is completed.
Growth of the National Health System
The construction of hospitals, centres and health posts aims to ensure that health services reach all those who need them.
Since 2017, the government has invested in the construction, expansion, and rehabilitation of more than 163 new health facilities, of which 155 are for primary care. Thus, the bed capacity increased from a minimum of 13,426 to 37,808 in the period from 2017 to 2022.
Access to primary health care tripled, from 25% to 70%.
The National Health Service currently has 13 Central and Specialty Hospitals, six Institutes, 26 General and Provincial Hospitals, 172 Municipal Hospitals, 800 Health Centers and 2,311 Health Posts, totaling 3,325 units.
In 2017, only three provinces had specialized hemodialysis services, while in 2022 that number increased to ten provinces, with a service capacity of more than 3,000 users per week. Eight national reference hospitals were built from scratch.
Therefore, the portfolio of projects at the central level foresees 31 public investment projects, with emphasis on 14 general hospitals, three tertiary level maternal and child hospitals, ten specialized treatment units, with emphasis on the future Burns Hospital, Oncology Hospital, Traumatology Hospital and Ophthalmology Hospital.
The Neves Bendinha Specialized Hospital, the Caxito General Hospital, the Viana Hospital, the Main Military Hospital, the Cacuaco General Hospital have already been reopened and there is a prospect of inaugurating the general hospitals of Sumbe, Ndalatando and the Pedalé General Hospital (in Luanda).
The General Hospitals of Catumbela, Bailundo, Dundo, Malanje will also be built, and the General Hospital of Mbanza Kongo will be completed.
At the local level, under PIIM, 163 health units are under construction that will increase coverage at proximity levels.
In the last legislature alone, 41,093 new professionals joined the public health service, including doctors, nurses, diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, hospital support technicians and general regime technicians.
Practically all doctors trained in the country and abroad were framed and about 80% of the employees were placed in the municipalities and 53,461 employees in the health sector were promoted. By 2027, it is expected to hire around 10,800 doctors and 78,500 nurses to integrate the health units under construction and to be built.
Visit program
The President of the Republic arrived, on Friday afternoon, in Cunene, where for three days, he will learn about the socioeconomic situation of the province.
João Lourenço will also lead a meeting of the Local Governance Council, with the participation of the country's 18 provincial governors, before visiting the works of the Ndue dam.
The province has an estimated population of one million, 17,491 inhabitants, distributed in the municipalities of Cuanhama, Ombadja, Namacunde, Cuvelai, Cahama and Curoca. FA/LHE/ART/DOJ
