Health care in Mozambique

After its independence from Portugal in 1975, the Mozambique government established a primary health care system that was cited by the WHO as a model for other developing countries.

In 2005, the Government of Mozambique formulated the National Public Investment plan – a nationwide initiative towards poverty reduction and social development.

[4] Likewise, in 2015 the Government of Mozambique released Agenda 2025, which highlighted the goals for the country's long term social and economic growth as a framework for international aid partners around the world.

Mozambique has experienced civic conflict, natural disasters, and more – all of which have contributed to the health challenges that the country has faced historically and in present day.

However, according to historian Mario Azevedo, it has been agreed upon by experts in the field that collective national initiatives in health were not seen in Mozambique prior to the arrival of the Portuguese.

[11] Shortly after Vasco de Gama set foot on East African soil in the 15th century,[12] colonization of the country began alongside Catholic intervention.

[10] For the next 400 years, it is suspected that like many fellow Sub-Saharan African colonies, Mozambique's health facilities were run by European Catholic missionaries in the area.

[13] When the Mozambican civil war concluded in 1992, the country began making progress towards recovery through domestic and international aid initiatives.

[16] In Mozambique, two specific initiatives the PRSP pushed were (1) increasing community knowledge surrounding health challenges, diseases, and resources; and (2) preventing and slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases around the country through public health campaigns that increased public knowledge about modes of transmission and personal protection against STDs.