From an administration office to a proper health unity

Nearly 15000 people from a remote area in southern Gaza province, in Chibuto district, witnessed improvement of the health conditions for their assistance, with the inauguration of a new Health Center that upgraded from a former an adapted administration office.

“We operated here because there were no other premises for the health unity to assist people" says a local health volunteer, Maria do Ceu Mutemukuyo, working in the unity for more than 15 years.

It was since 1982 that the administration office got transformed into a health unity, and it has been the life savior of different people not only from Chipadja community, where it is located, but many other people from the surrounding areas.

The adapted office was not the only challenge to the health professionals, added to that, there was lack of electric power, clean drinking water and a proper sanitation system.

The hope for an improved health unity had its shape, the year before last when the first stone was laid thanks to the support from Hong Kong as part of its development program to improve living conditions of children in particular in the area.

And today a total different health unity and improved is ready to serve the community, healing and promoting health, no longer to perform births at the light of a mobile phone flashlight and candles that posed fire risks to the health unity and people in it.

"Today we have water, for 24 hours,  we have electricity, we are storing vaccines ourselves no longer relying at the rural hospital in the main village located 32 kilometers from here  " says Assussena Zita, head nurse .

Solar panel system for eletri

The new infrastructures brought more than comfort to the health professionals and the patients that benefit from the health unity, that is privacy, that they did not have in the former health unity.

“The former health unity, when a patient was seeing the nurse he had not privacy, everything he said, could be heard by other patients outside, that did not help in the treatment process, because it’s important to keep things between the health professional and the patient, the new one they will be free to express themselves ” added Assussena.

The health unity is equipped to treat disease such as malaria, the most common according the head nurse, diarrheas, choleras, it is better equipped to deliver babies and the authorities expect to see a drop in the number of home deliveries.

“I am happy with the new health unity, we needed one already, there is eletric power we can come here even at night” said a patient Rosa Mateus.

Motivating nurses

Nurses are in the group of the less paid in the National Health System, however the government approved recently and increase of 5 per cent of their salaries.

Added to low wages working conditions are not the best particular in remote areas, as it is visible in the former house of the nurses.

Thinking about their motivation, World Vision Mozambique also built an improved house that will be used by the nurses.

“It is tough staying here, our former house did not have electric power, and we were forced to sleep early, also because of scorpions, and many around here” said Assussena.

The new house is well prepared that scorpions will no longer find their way in, and this is expected to highly contribute positively in the mental status of the nurses who will consequently perform better their work better.