Uíge – Angola’s Minister of Health Sílvia Lutucuta on Thursday said that that the country is expected to have 38,000 health professionals, mostly in nursing, medical-surgical and public health by the year 2027.

The minister made the statement in Uige province where she is taking part in the two-day meeting of the Local Governance Council.

Responding to the concerns presented by the governor of Uíge, José Carvalho da Rocha, about the scarcity of staff and infrastructure, the minister said that this region has 105 doctors and 240 nurses working in specialties, medium technicians and soon graduates will also do specialty.

Regarding the need to build infrastructure, she stated that whenever a source of funding appears, priority projects will also be included.

She highlighted the construction of a tertiary-level general hospital, underway in Uíge province, which will be completed in two years.

Despite this, he said it was necessary for the province of Uíge to have a pediatric reference hospital and a maternity hospital with all the conditions.

On the other hand, she announced the opening of an “epidemiological antenna” soon in UIge province, as preventive health model taking in account that Angola’s north bordering is vulnerable zone in the emergence of epidemic situations. JAR/DOJ