Covid-19: Mozambique needs $4.8 million to respond to possible outbreak

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Covid-19: Mozambique needs $4.8 million to respond to possible outbreak

12:56 CAT | 12 Mar 2020

Minister of Health of Mozambique, Armindo Tiago. [Photo: MISAU]

Mozambique needs US$4.8 million (€4.2 million euros) to control a possible outbreak of the new coronavirus. The country’s international partners suggest using existing funds.

“The necessary budget will be for hospitalisation, outpatients, medical equipment material for hospitalisation, surveillance material, plus operational and contingency costs”, National Director of Public Health Rosa Marlene said.

Rosa Marlene was speaking in Maputo at a meeting attended by international partners and called by the Ministry of Health to prepare the response to the Covid-19 epidemic.

According to Mozambican health authorities, the main challenge is the lack of means to build isolation and treatment centres across the country.

“The system we have was not designed to treat diseases like the coronavirus. But we do have isolation centres and tents used for cholera,” Mozambican Minister of Health Armindo Tiago said.

The World Bank, which participated in the meeting, suggested that the Mozambican government could use part of the funds earmarked for tuberculosis programmes to address Covid-19, of which
Mozambique receives around €40 million.

The Spanish representative at the meeting authorised Mozambique to use funds from the Pro-Saúde programme, financed by the Spanish government in the amount of around one million Euros.

The US government said that it would redirect health programme resources estimated at about €443 million, while the United Kingdom was the only country to announce new funds, providing nearly €548,000 (£480,000 ) to assist in the Covid-19 operation.

There is still no confirmed case of the disease in Mozambique, but the fear has increased after the confirmation, since last week, of new cases in neighbouring South Africa.

The Covid-19 epidemic was detected in China in December and has already claimed more than 4,300 lives in 28 countries and territories.

The number of people infected with Covid-19 worldwide now exceeds 120,000, with cases registered in 120 countries and territories, including Portugal, which has 59 confirmed cases.

In view of the epidemic’s progress, several countries have adopted exceptional measures, including the quarantine regime initially enacted by China in the outbreak area.

Italy is the most serious case after China, with more than 10,000 infected and at least 631 dead, leading the government to declare quarantine restrictions across the entire country.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) yesterday declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, justifying the decision with the “alarming levels of spread and inaction”.
Lusa

Source: Lusa