The United States Agency for International Development Agency (USAID) is to provide US$60 million in the 2012-2016 period to finance a programme for development of health facilities in Mozambique, Mozambican news agency AIM reported.

Under the terms of the programme launched Monday in Maputo, the current health network of around 1,000 health centres to around 1,400 by building new health centres in rural areas offering more services such as outpatients appointments and vaccinations.

The new centres, along with those that are due to be refurbished, will provide access to health services to 500,000 people and reduce the number of births outside healthcare facilities.

The centres will also make it possible to reduce the distances that patients have to travel to reach a hospital which, according to the World Health Organisation, should be a maximum of 5 kilometres, but there are still regions where people travel around 40 kilometres.

The other component that is part of the infrastructure development programme is construction of regional warehouses for medication and the third component of the programme is construction of a health sciences training centre in Maputo province, which aims to train around 400 healthcare students and offer accommodation for 200 students and a few staff members. (macauhub)