Mozambique: DOGE cuts €9.5M male circumcision programme

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Mozambique: DOGE cuts €9.5M male circumcision programme

12:31 CAT | 17 Feb 2025

File photo: Reuters

The US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has announced a new cut in a support programme for Mozambique, in this case for male circumcision, of $10 million (€9.5 million).

According to a DOGE list, made official at the weekend and consulted by Lusa on Monday, the “voluntary male medical circumcision in Mozambique” programme is one of 15 “cancelled” by that new department in African, Asian and European countries.

Previously, Elon Musk, who heads the new department created by US President Donald Trump, had already denounced $50 million (€47.7 million) in condoms – for HIV/AIDS prevention – of support from the United States of America (USA) for Gaza, which he initially associated with Palestine, later correcting to Gaza province, in southern Mozambique.

‘I don’t know if we should send $50 million worth of condoms anywhere, frankly. I don’t know if that’s something the Americans are excited about. And by the way, that’s a lot of money in condoms. If it’s for Mozambique and not Gaza, it’s not so bad, but why are we doing it?” Musk questioned.

Mozambique’s government said on 7 February that the suspension of US international aid compromises health programmes in Mozambique, especially HIV/AIDS and that it was in “dialogue” with the US embassy to “mitigate the impacts”.

“The abrupt withdrawal of this support compromises, as you can imagine in some way, the efficiency of the implementation of these programmes (…) The US government’s support finances a considerable part of the provision of health professionals and especially in the area of HIV/AIDS care,” said Inocêncio Impissa, spokesman for Mozambique’s government and Minister of State Administration and Civil Service, during a press conference in Porto. Recognising the “seriousness of the measure” announced by the US President, the Mozambican government official said that essential health services would continue and urged the population not to panic.

He said that the suspension of funding also has implications for the purchase and distribution of medicines. He stressed the importance of supporting the maintenance of strategic and priority health programmes in Mozambique, such as the fight against HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, among other diseases.

“Both the central and regional warehouses are going to experience some overstocking of medicines over the next few days because the logistics of transporting them to the points where they are to be distributed [has] been disrupted,” the minister said, adding that the ratio of health professionals to inhabitants is also being jeopardised.

According to the minister, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has established a ratio of 45 health professionals per 10,000 inhabitants, but Mozambique has just over 18 professionals per 10,000 inhabitants.

“We are a long way off and this suspension of support is naturally a huge challenge if we are to reach this target,” said Inocêncio Impissa.

“The government has started a dialogue with the United States to reverse or mitigate the scenario of the suspension of funding, but also to mobilise alternative sources of funding,” added Inocêncio Impissa.

He also said that priorities and the optimisation of the country’s existing resources will be necessary to minimise the impact of the suspension of funding on essential services.

“We need to prioritise what should effectively not be missed during the period in which this measure is in place, but also explore emergency funding mechanisms to say that critical services can continue until a durable and sustainable solution is in fact found,” said the spokesman for the Mozambican government.

In the first days of his second term, Trump suspended all international aid for 90 days, except humanitarian food programmes and military aid to Israel and Egypt.

Source: Lusa