Montepuez Ruby Mining inaugurates 2nd mobile health clinic in Namanhumbir – Mozambique

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Montepuez Ruby Mining inaugurates 2nd mobile health clinic in Namanhumbir – Mozambique

12:20 CAT | 28 May 2018

Montepuez District Administrator Etelvina Fevereiro on Friday inaugurated Montepuez Ruby Mining’s (MRM) second mobile health clinic, doubling free medical care for local residents as part of its commitment to communities in the area.

Access to medical services in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado is among the poorest in the country. The nearest health centre to the villages surrounding the MRM site is more than 25 km away, rendering health care inaccessible for most people.

With infant mortality, malaria, HIV/Aids and water-borne diseases prevalent, MRM’s mobile clinics offer hard-to-reach communities access to health services. The vehicle contains malaria, gastrointestinal and HIV testing equipment, basic medicines and equipment such as blood pressure meters and eye and ear examination equipment. This allows nurses to administer basic health care, provide prescriptions and referrals to other doctors or the hospital.

The first mobile clinic was launched in March 2017 as a partnership with the government of Mozambique, and served the six villages of the Namanhumbir administrative post.

Since its launch, the health clinic has provided more than 35,000 health consultations to the village populations, and has proven a highly valued service. The second mobile clinic will improve on this by expanding the service area, reaching many more local residents who otherwise would have limited or no access to health care.

The second mobile health clinic was launched during a health fair held on Friday in the village of Nanhupo in Namanhumbir. The fair aimed to inform the community about the importance of good health in the well-being of the population and to promote health care and disease prevention.

The fair featured a number of activities, including free medical examinations and consultations for all members of the Namanhumbir community.

About 400 people participated in the fair, which was officially presided over by District Administrator Etelvina Fevereiro, who expressed her gratitude to MRM on behalf of the government of Mozambique and the inhabitants of the village of Namanhumbir. She reiterated the government’s commitment to the partnership with MRM, saying “the inauguration of the second mobile clinic reflects the effective coordination between the company and the government, who share the same objectives in terms of social responsibility. One more clinic means more medical care for more villages, reducing the distances people have to travel for health care.”

The agreed partnership means that MRM acquires the mobile clinics, the necessary equipment and covers the operating costs, while the government provides the medical team, medicines and consumables.

We spoke to Isac Rafael, one of the nurses assigned to mobile clinics by the government, who said: “Since the start of the MRM mobile clinic operation, there has been a large reduction in the number of patients seeking medical care in the mobile clinic, indicating the effectiveness of this initiative at community level since March 2017”.

In order for the health clinic scheme to be sustainable, it needs to be a true partnership between Montepuez Ruby Mining, the community and the state. This in turn requires significant involvement with local communities, in order to gain the trust of members of the community, most of whom do not have access to health services.

During its first year of operation, the first mobile health clinic had an average of 2,500 consultations per month. MRM is proud to be able deliver this vital service to the community and pleased to announce the second vehicle, which will double the reach of this successful project.

Source: MONTEPUEZ RUBY MINING LTD / Press Release