Mozambique steps up efforts to secure international funding for maternal, newborn and child healthcare

The Government is stepping up efforts to mobilise international funding to strengthen maternal, neonatal and child health services, with the aim of ensuring that more women, newborns and children have access to quality healthcare, particularly in communities affected by humanitarian crises and extreme weather events.

The initiative seeks to improve care for women during pregnancy, ensure safer conditions for childbirth, strengthen newborn care and expand children’s access to essential health and nutrition services, reducing the risks associated with maternal and child mortality.

This commitment was reaffirmed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Albertina Fruquia, during a courtesy meeting with Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, Special Adviser to the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator on Maternal and Newborn Health in Crisis, held in Maputo on Thursday (12 November), at the end of the Princess’s visit to Mozambique.

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On the occasion, Albertina Fruquia highlighted that the country continues to face humanitarian challenges, particularly in Cabo Delgado province, due to insecurity, population displacement and extreme weather events.

“These situations undermine people’s regular access to basic services, affecting pregnant women, children and vulnerable families most severely,” she stressed.

Against this backdrop, Fruquia considered it essential to deepen cooperation with United Nations agencies, namely the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), to ensure the continuity of essential health services, strengthen the response capacity of health facilities and bring healthcare closer to the communities most in need.

For her part, Princess Sarah Zeid acknowledged the Mozambican Government’s efforts to mobilise and allocate resources to the health sector, highlighting funding for family planning products and the strengthening of reproductive health services, areas that are essential to protecting women’s health and family well-being.

Princess Sarah also highlighted opportunities to mobilise innovative financing for maternal, neonatal and child health, nutrition and social protection programmes.

Source: Notícias