Mozambique

Background

Mozambique has a population of almost 24 million, the majority of whom sustain themselves through subsistence agriculture. A prolongued civil war hampered the country’s development until the 1980s and current life expectancy is estimated at 52 years.

HIV in Mozambique

The impact of HIV on social, economic, and development indicators in Mozambique has been profound. Over 11 percent of adults aged 15–49 are currently living with HIV and a further 110,000 adults and children become infected every year. Over half a million Mozambicans have died of AIDS-related causes in the last decade alone, and an estimated 670,000 children in the country have been orphaned by AIDS.

ICAP in Mozambique

With an estimated 1.7 million HIV-infected people, Mozambique has a national seroprevalence rate of 11.5 percent. Less than 51 percent of those who need antiretroviral therapy receive it.

In partnership with the Ministry of Health, governmental, and non-governmental organizations, ICAP works at all levels of the health care system in four provinces (Maputo City, Inhambane, Zambezia, and Nampula) to build capacity and to increase access to comprehensive HIV services.

In addition to carrying out clinical mentoring, training, and infrastructure support, a major focus of ICAP’s work has been to support the decentralization of HIV services from overcrowded hospitals to health centers, which are generally more accessible.

Specifically, ICAP supports:

Capacity building of district health management teams in the areas of governance and leadership, management of human resources, lab and pharmacy management, and community activities
Gender-based violence prevention and care with integrated interventions involving district-level delegations from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women and Social Actions, and Ministry of Justice
Screening and treatment of cervical cancer
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Pediatric and adult HIV care and treatment
Integrated PMTCT centers that provide health care for women and children, including malaria prevention
Integrated TB/HIV services and palliative care for opportunistic infections
In-service training programs for all cadres of health care providers
Pre-service initial training for mid-level nurses as well as medical and pharmacy technicians
Training programs to enable medical technicians to deliver HIV care and treatment
Infrastructure development, including laboratory and facility renovations
Clinical mentoring, including developing improved medical and psychosocial records systems
Health workers to implement HIV prevention through both voluntary and provider-initiated counseling and testing as well as voluntary male medical circumcision
Peer support and adherence promotion programs