Managers from Mozambique's National Institute of Health visited Fiocruz's National School of Public Health (ENSP) in Brazil to discuss possible partnerships in the laboratory field. The visit, which took place on 18 April, is part of a cooperation mission between Mozambique and Fiocruz, begun with the visit of Mozambique's Minister of Health, Armindo Daniel Tiago, the previous year.
The meeting aimed to explore possible collaborations in the areas of Toxicology, Microbiology, Sanitation and antimicrobial resistance. These areas were chosen on the basis of the ENSP's expertise within the National System of Public Health Laboratories (SISLAB). Nédio Mabunda, the INS's director of Public Health Laboratories, highlighted the importance of previous partnerships with Fiocruz, especially in training health managers and researchers in Mozambique.
Mabunda also stressed the urgent need to develop Mozambique's laboratory infrastructure, mentioning that the country has only 400 laboratories for direct patient care, within a health system that faces challenges of coverage and accessibility. The recent strategy includes setting up a reference public health laboratory in each of the country's 11 provinces, an effort that has already shown results in improving the response to a cholera outbreak.
The need for a toxicology laboratory was particularly emphasised because of incidents of unexplained poisonings, such as the one in 2018 after a funeral, where the deaths of more than 100 people were later attributed to bacterial contamination of the flour used at the event.
Fátima Rocha, deputy director of Outpatient Clinics and Laboratories at the ENSP, reinforced the institution's commitment to South-South cooperation, highlighting the potential for expanding partnerships through the Network of National Schools of Public Health of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (RENSP-CPLP). The proposal to create a National School of Public Health in Mozambique was also discussed, which could further strengthen the country's capacities in health management and health emergencies.
The visit also included a tour of the National Reference Laboratory for Tuberculosis and Mycobacteria and other Fiocruz institutes, seeking to leverage partnerships that can strengthen Mozambique's laboratory network and expand technology transfer and technical development in the field.
