As part of its corporate social responsibility programme geared towards improving Mozambique citizens’ access to healthcare through infrastructure development, international integrated energy and chemicals company, Sasol, this year handed over the Benzane health centre to government officials from the district of Mabote.
In a consolidated partnership with the Mozambique ministry of health Sasol supported, the construction and equipping of the centre, which incorporates two residential buildings for medical personnel.
The strategic location of the Benzane health centre, which straddles, the boarder of Gaza and Inhambane provinces will ensure the that centre can effectively treat over 18 000 locals from the Benzane which is in Inhambane as well as those in the northern regions of the Chigubo district in Gaza.
Sasol Mozambique country manager Dr Mateus Zimba expressed the company’s willingness to participate in a joint healthcare venture with the Mozambique government.
“At Sasol, we believe in driving shared and sustainable value for communities. We intend to continue to invest in programmes that improve the quality of life for communities as access to basic healthcare is a fundamental human right,” says Zimba.
Meanwhile, the district director of women health and social action Carlos Cazamula Ngovene notes the introduction of the new health centre drastically diminishes the distance pregnant women have to travel to deliver their babies. Before the clinic was constructed, women in Benzane endured the peril of a 35km hike to get to the next health centre which is located in the Gaza province.
Ngovene says the clinic has already assisted 870 locals, 30% of whom are from the Gaza province. Further after a month in operation, the clinic has seen the delivery of five successful births.
The clinic has also broken some of the healthcare barriers in Mozambique which has over 1.6 million people living with HIV/Aids, 60% of whom are in the rural areas. Further the shortage of healthcare workers in the country is another challenge the clinic has helped mitigate.
Meanwhile Mozambique continues to be a focal point for Sasol through various community development initiatives, partnerships and programmes engineered to improve the overall quality since establishing their presence in the country over ten years ago with a natural gas project that has become a catalyst for social development especially in the education and health sectors.
Sasol has collaborated with the Mozambique government in several other projects, including a recent initiative in which 600 school desks were donated to school-goers in the Inhambane province.