The Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta, stated today, in Mbanza Kongo, Zaire province, that Angola is taking very seriously, and at the highest level, the problem of the cholera outbreak that has been ravaging, mainly, the countries of SADC region
João Feliciano
Picture of; Nambi Wanderlei
Silvia Lutucuta, who had been working since the early hours of this Friday in the province of Zaire, said that the authorities issued a national alert last month, as soon as the situation worsened in the region.
According to the minister, this is a matter that Angola is taking very seriously and at the highest level.
“We had a meeting of SADC health ministers, a council of ministers of health ministers with foreign ministers from the region, and also a summit of heads of state to debate a strategic plan and measures to contain the disease” , stated the minister.
According to the official, since last January, Angola has activated provincial and municipal commissions to combat cholera with the aim of containing the spread of this disease.
He highlighted that the authorities are more concerned about the province of Zaire, which, according to the minister, has been the entry point for cholera into the country due to the islands that make up the municipality of Soyo, which places the country’s border at a high level of vulnerability.
“We have large markets here, such as Luvitu, on the border with the DRC, but our security teams, in an integrated manner, the Ministry of Health, the AGT, the Defense and Security bodies and also the local government are under surveillance. permanent to take containment measures”, he asserted.
He also said that the logistical issue has been prepared in order to provide an immediate response if a case is detected.
Zaire General Hospital will be completed in August 2025
During an inspection visit to the works at the General Hospital of Zaire, the Minister of Health, Sílvia Litucuta, received confirmation from the contractor that the health unit should be completed and handed over to the authorities by August of next year.
According to the government official, the works had been paralyzed since 2014, due to financial constraints, and that of the contractor, who guaranteed the completion of the work by the scheduled date.
The infrastructure, which is being built from scratch in the municipality of Mbanza Kongo, is already 21 percent physically completed, according to the Minister of Health.
Sílvia Lutucuta assured that when completed the unit will provide differentiated services, from a technical point of view, noting that the Executive will work to equip professionals with the necessary skills to provide a quality and humanized service.
At this point, he said, the equipment for this unit is already being stored on site.
“Today we met with the local government to look at the issue of access to the hospital, the issue of water and electricity as well as the drainage of rainwater and wastewater”, he said.
Secondary and tertiary units will also be rehabilitated
Sílvia Lutucuta highlighted that the Executive’s strategy is to complete the new hospital and, in a phased manner, pay attention to the old units, which have been providing secondary level services.
“We are going to do this here in Zaire too, after 2025, because we need to have the various levels of care working as a network”, he said, guaranteeing that the current Maria Eugenia Neto hospital, which functions as the provincial hospital, will become a care unit tertiary level to meet high complexity.
Guaranteed financing
Sílvia Lutucuta also made it known that financial constraints have been overcome, with a line of credit provided by the company Vamed.
“The credit line is guaranteed through its corresponding banks, we have the Court of Auditors visa and we are already making the necessary disbursements”, he concluded.