Increasing Mozambique’s Health Workforce, One Fellow at a Time

Health worker shortages are a major challenge in many resource-limited settings around the world. In Africa there are only two health care workers for every 1,000 people, compared to 25 workers per 1,000 people in the Americas. What’s more, the majority of health care workers are based in urban areas, leaving people in rural areas with fewer clinicians to address their needs.

To address this gap, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) works with national governments and other stakeholders to reduce health worker shortages.

EGPAF-Mozambique’s Fellowship Program

In 2013, EGPAF-Mozambique launched a fellowship program for recent graduates of the Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. The two-year fellowship provides technical knowledge and skills to the next generation of Mozambican health workers and researchers, fostering a sustainable health care system in the country.

Currently, 22 fellows are working with EGPAF and within the Mozambican Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Gaza Province and several at the Maputo headquarters.. Their work varies from providing psychosocial support at district hospitals and  ensuring data quality, to conducting research on topics relevant to pediatric HIV.  IN all of these cases, the skills development is not only to the Fellows, but comes from the fellow as well.  Their role is to reinforce human resources on the ground as well as build the capacity of their MOH colleagues.

“The lack of human resources is a big challenge,” said Almira Nhantumbo, a psychosocial support and community adherence fellow in Gaza province.

“I think more programs like this fellowship could help get us to a positive place. I feel like I am making a difference here.”

Another psychosocial support fellow working in Gaza province, Fernando Marrengula, is planning to pursue a Master of Public Health degree after he completes his fellowship.

“I am linking my activities with the health system,” Marrengula said. “Because I am working with highly-qualified people at EGPAF, I have development opportunities. I receive new knowledge on what I do.”

For more information on this year’s Mozambican fellowship, stay tuned for our fellowship series, “In Their Own Words.”

Learn more about EGPAF’s efforts to eliminate pediatric HIV in Mozambique.