The Mozambican President announced today the construction of the Maputo Surgical Centre, one of the largest in Africa, starting in April 2026 and financed by the Chinese Government, in addition to an Oncology Institute and a Maternal and Child Hospital. “Steps are under way for the construction of the Maputo Surgical Centre, which will be one of the largest surgical centres in the Southern African region and on the Continent,” said Daniel Chapo while presenting his first State of the Nation Address to the Mozambican Parliament, the Assembly of the Republic. Without specifying the amounts involved, the Head of State said that the surgical centre will be built with financing from the People’s Republic of China, with construction scheduled to begin in April 2026 “because the tender has already been launched and companies are already bidding”.
In the same address, Daniel Chapo said that an Oncology Institute and a Maternal and Child Hospital will also be built in Mozambique, with an investment of US$220 million (€187.6 million), resulting from a “strategic partnership” signed with Brazil during the recent visit to the country by Lula da Silva. According to Chapo, the infrastructures fall within the scope of the promise to develop reference hospitals and specialised units in Mozambique. “These infrastructures will also drastically reduce the need for medical evacuations abroad and will allow complex cases to be treated in our country, without the need to go overseas,” the President said.
On the occasion, Daniel Chapo reiterated the commitment to continue paying, in a phased and sustainable manner, the overtime debt owed to health workers which, according to the Head of State, stands at 810.6 million meticais (€10.8 million), relating to 2023, 2024 and some months of 2025. Daniel Chapo also said that, for the first time, Mozambique will have regulated matters related to the donation, harvesting and transplantation of organs, tissues and cells, which will “increase life expectancy” in the country. “The first year of governance was marked by a profound effort to build, strengthen and dignify the social sectors of our country,” said the statesman, admitting that no economic progress is sustainable if it is not accompanied by “real improvements in people’s lives”.
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Mozambique’s health sector has for several years faced strikes and stoppages called by the Association of United and Supportive Health Professionals of Mozambique (APSUSM), which covers around 65,000 health professionals from different departments. The Mozambican National Health System has also faced, over the past two years, several moments of pressure caused by strikes by workers, called by the Medical Association of Mozambique (AMM), demanding improvements in working conditions. The country has a total of 1,778 health units, 107 of which are health posts, three are specialised hospitals, four central hospitals, seven general hospitals, seven provincial hospitals, 22 rural hospitals and 47 district hospitals, according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health.
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