Answering questions from deputies in the Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, Garrido said that at the end of 2004 there were only 6,500 people receiving ARV therapy. This rose to 19,500 by the end of 2005, and to over 44,000 in December 2006, surpassing the Health Ministry's target.
The number of health units where ARV therapy was available rose from 23 in 2004, to 34 in 2005, and to 125 in 2006. Now, in early May 2007, announced Garrido ARV treatment can be obtained in all of Mozambique's 128 districts.
A further major success in public health was a dramatic reduction in cases of measles. In 2005, 12,584 cases of measles were notified, and 59 of these patients died.
But in August to October of that year, a national vaccination campaign against measles and polio was held, covering 94 per cent of all children under the age of 15. As a result, in 2006 there were only 203 notified cases of measles, and no deaths.
Garrido added that from 2004 to 2006 the number of health units in the country increased from 1,249 to 1,388. These units were better equipped than in the past - partly because one of Garrido's early acts as Minister has been to redistribute to the District Health Directorates 42 pick-up trucks that had previously been concentrated in Maputo.
The Ministry had subsequently acquired a further 102 pick- ups for the districts, and 115 four wheel drive ambulances. 39 seven tonne trucks had been imported specifically for the Ministry's anti-malaria campaign.
However, none of this was of great interest to deputies of the former rebel movement Renamo. Two Renamo deputies, Antonio Muchanga and Luis Gouveia, claimed, without giving any details, that 18 million dollars had disappeared from the Central Medical Stores (CMAM) through alleged under-invoicing of medicines acquired from the Bill Gates Foundation and the Global Fund against HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
Garrido replied that the CMAM is responsible for procuring, importing, and distributing 30-35 million US dollars worth of medicine a year, plus a further 20 million dollars worth of donated drugs.
The disappearance of 18 million dollars from the CMAM system "would cause the entire distribution of medicines to collapse, which has not happened". said the Minister.
Since he knew nothing of any underinvoicing, he suggested the two deputies provide the Ministry with the evidence for their allegation "so that we can examine it".
Gouveia and Muchanga had also complained about the incentives paid to health ministry pharmacists to top up their wages. Why weren't similar incentives paid to doctors and other health professionals ?
Garrido replied that these "incentives" went to categories such as pharmacists, whose job in the health ministry was "totally incompatible with private practice". (This is not the case with most doctors, many of whom also work in both the National Health Service and in private clinics).
The pharmacists were rewarded with extra money because they had agreed to work exclusively in the public sector.
Garrido added that, up until 2004, the entire process of importing drugs was in the hands of foreign specialists, who were paid 5,000 dollars a month, plus such perks as annual air tickets home.
They have been phased out and replaced by trained young Mozambican pharmacists, who were paid only a fifth of what the foreign staff had once received.
"As minister, I'm very proud of them", declared Garrido.
SOURCE: AIM
