On March 14, 2019 Cyclone Idai hit Mozambique’s port city of Beira, substantially damaging ~80% of local infrastructure and leaving the two central provinces of Mozambique in a state of emergency. In the days that followed, flooding, food shortages, and lack of secure housing continued to add to the overall public health burden of the cyclone.
With an established presence in Beira and 30+ years of experience working alongside local health authorities in the two most affected provinces, Health Alliance International was well positioned and ready to join the response.
In total, Cyclones Idai and Kenneth substantially damaged 94 Mozambican health facilities, including equipment, furniture, medicine and supplies. This infrastructural damage continues to affect everything from everyday service delivery to critical care. For example, four districts in Sofala province are currently unable to perform lifesaving surgeries, including cesarean sections. Most damaged facilities were clinics that provide the first line of primary health care delivery in Mozambique’s National Health Service.
Public sector health clinics are the single source of health services for the vast majority of the population of Mozambique.
The Provincial Health Service of Sofala Province asked Health Alliance International to support rehabilitation of two health facilities damaged by Idai: MANGA MASCARENHAS HEALTH CENTER in Beira City, where 83% of all infrastructure was damaged by the storm; and CHISSINGUANA HEALTH CENTER in Buzi District, where flooding reached up to 19 feet deep.
Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and a significant grant from Direct Relief, HAI is not only committed to the infrastructural rehabilitation of these two health facilities, but also to re-equipping both facilities with medicines, supplies, and equipment.
Public sector health clinics are the single source of health services for the vast majority of the population of Mozambique. As relief agency resources and temporary emergency medical posts begin to disappear, these health centers will remain to care for the physical and mental health needs of their communities. Investing in the recovery of the public health system is critical to ensuring Mozambique’s impacted communities have renewed and ongoing access to healthcare services after this unprecedented storm.
Help us sustain this critical work
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