Japan donates medical equipment to Maputo Central Hospital

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Japan donates medical equipment to Maputo Central Hospital

2:52 CAT | 17 Oct 2022

Photo: Hospital Central de Maputo

The Japanese government on Friday donated hospital equipment worth 107 million meticais (about 1.7 million US dollars at the current exchange rate) for the installation of a new Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), the largest health provider in Mozambique.

The equipment include beds, patient monitors, ventilators, mobile X-ray, haemodialysis machines, laryngoscopes, as well as computer equipment to boost telemedicine in Mozambique.

Speaking at the ceremony, HCM’s general director Mouzinho Saide expressed his gratitude with the donation, saying that the equipment will improve health care provided to Covid-19 patients.

“The equipment will improve treatment of patients with Covid-19 and other pathologies,” said Mouzinho, recalling that at the time of Covid-19 outbreak Japan played a crucial role by providing to HCM technical and material support to respond to the pandemic.

“Thus, we are better prepared to respond to cases of Covid-19, which is now stable”, said Mouzinho, assuring that the equipment may, eventually, be used to respond to other pandemics.

In turn, the representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Matsumoto Hitoshi urged the users to take care of the equipment and make it last.

“We expect the hospital to carry out regular maintenance of the equipment to ensure the provision of medical services in a sustainable manner,” Hitoshi said, adding “we expect better efficiency of human resources.”

Health professionals who will handle this equipment, according to Hitoshi, will play a major role in the knowledge and experience transfer for the provision of medical care and the introduction of telemedicine in the country.

“They should transmit the knowledge on telemedicine to other hospitals, improving healthcare in digital format,” he stressed.

For his part, Japanese ambassador, Kimura Hajime, announced that there is under way another project, which includes 28 ambulances to be donated to Mozambique.

“We still have many other projects with the Health Ministry to improve the conditions of the population,” said the ambassador, without disclosing further details.

Another project in the pipeline is the installation of a Neonatology centre in HCM.

“We want to improve the health conditions here in Mozambique. We have signed a contract for the construction of a Neonatology wing,” Hajime said, stressing that the newly donated hi-tech equipment for telemedicine will facilitate access to patient data.

“When patients are treated, the data can be sent to Japanese doctors for diagnosis and then returned to Mozambique. It is an online system that will improve health services,” stressed the diplomat.