Usseene Isse, Mozambique's Minister of Health, stated that the country cannot meet all its needs with the domestic budget and advocated for strengthening partnerships to cover the current financing deficit in the health sector.
The statement was made at the opening of the second dialogue on health sector financing in Maputo. During this event, he insisted on more active resource mobilization and improving the efficiency of using available funds amid shrinking fiscal space and reduced external financing.
The Minister warned of the potential risk of regression in achievements in areas such as HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and maternal and child health, which previously received support from international partners. He emphasized that current available resources must be used to ensure the continuity of services.
Isse noted the need for constant attention to the sustainability component so that progress is not lost, and stressed the search for new ways to attract funds for the sector.
To solve financial problems, Usseene Isse proposed strengthening the integration of funds designated for healthcare, criticizing the fragmentation of financing and the existence of various planning, execution, and monitoring mechanisms. According to him, the division of resources can lead to duplication and inefficiency, as well as hinder response to national priorities.
In this regard, the Government intends to implement a unified plan, a single budget, and a unified monitoring and evaluation system. The Minister stated that it is necessary to stop the verticalization of revenues in healthcare, as such a structure generates many inefficient processes, advocating for a more coordinated use of resources focused on the needs of the population.
Furthermore, the Minister stressed that the second financing dialogue should lead to concrete measures, reminding that several recommendations voiced at the first meeting have not been implemented. He assured that the Ministry of Health will monitor the implementation of adopted decisions jointly with partners.
In May, on May 18, Mozambique was selected to receive approximately $17 million (€14.5 million) from the Pandemic Fund. These funds are intended to strengthen the country's capacity to respond to public health emergencies related to extreme weather events, according to the Minister of Health's statement. The financing must support the development of an operational plan for using these funds.
Earlier, in April, Usseene Isse advocated for joint planning of health sector resources, including adopting a unified plan, a single budget, and a common monitoring system, to improve the distribution of available resources and avoid repetitions of interventions amid declining funding.