In 2002, Belgian Technical Cooperation launched a programme aimed at assisting the Mozambican government to (re)construct and equips a number of health facilities that had been washed away by devastating floods in 2000 in the provinces of Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane and Sofala. So far 30 urban and rural health units (including some houses for staff) have been completed. The design of the newly built health centres takes account of the latest demographic trends.
The health centres will focus on delivering better quality health services that meet nationally adopted standards. The funding provided by Belgium is channelled directly through the Mozambican government budget and transferred to GACOPI, the Ministry of Health agency in charge of implementing investment projects. To ensure that the funds are used efficiently, a specialised auditing company, which will report directly to BTC, has been commissioned to perform a ‘value-for-money’ audit.