The provisional handover of the Marruo Community Health Post marks an important milestone in efforts by the Government of Mozambique, UNDP and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to strengthen community-level primary health care. The facility is part of a wider investment in community health infrastructure designed to expand the availability of essential health services in underserved communities while advancing resilience and continuity of local health services. 

The ceremony brought together provincial and district health authorities, community leaders, and local residents, reflecting the importance of the new facility to the families it is intended to serve. For communities that previously lacked a dedicated health post, the facility represents more than a new building. It creates a foundation for expanding equitable access to essential services.

Across seven provinces, eight community health posts have been completed and provisionally handed over as part of this initiative.  A ninth facility in Guachene, Katembe District, Maputo Province, is scheduled for handover in September, marking a final stage of the initiative’s planned roll-out. 

For families living in areas where reaching a health facility can require significant time and travel, the ability to receive basic care within their own community can make a meaningful difference in when and how people seek treatment.

The facilities are designed to accommodate a range of essential services, from routine consultations and childhood vaccination to maternal and child health care and the diagnosis and treatment of common illnesses, including malaria. Once operational and staffed, they will provide a dedicated setting where health workers can deliver these services as part of routine community-level care, helping people access preventive and primary health care in a timely manner, supporting early detection and treatment before health conditions become more serious.

Lessons from three community health posts constructed by UNDP in 2023-2024 helped shape the design of the current facilities, building on practical experience and strengthening the approach to primary healthcare infrastructure.

Each health post includes two consultation rooms, a solar power and battery storage system to ensure energy continuity, a reliable water source, accessibility ramps, gender-segregated sanitation facilities that promote privacy, dignity and hygiene, and information and communication technology equipment to strengthen health information management and enhance administrative capacity.