Emily A. Hartford, M.D.
℅ Risa Hoffman, M.D.
UCLA GHEP Office
10833 Le Conte Ave 13-154 CHS,
Los Angeles, CA 90095
The UCLA Program in Global Health together with Partners for Pediatric Progress has established strong relationships with the Department of Pediatrics at the Central Hospital of Maputo and the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) School of Medicine, the primary teaching hospital and medical school in the country. This program began in 2007 and was focused around medical education and training initiatives; it is now growing into a collaboration that will work towards improving pediatric hospital care in Maputo while supporting the training programs that will produce the next generation of Mozambican physicians.
Mozambique achieved independence from Portuguese rule in 1975 then suffered a prolonged civil war that began shortly afterwards and ended in 1992 after a successful UN-negotiated peace agreement. In 2004, its leader for 18 years stepped down and the current president was elected. It is now a peaceful nation with impressive economic growth and many natural resources and industries including oil, natural gas, aluminum, business, and tourism. Despite this progress, it is estimated that 54% of the population still live in poverty and in the rural areas the majority of families practice subsistence agriculture to survive.
Mozambique has a total population of 23.5 million with over 10 million children aged 0-14. Despite gains over the past decade, it has some of the highest neonatal and child mortality rates in the world ranking 11th from the bottom of the list at 77 per 1000 live births (neonatal) and 138 per 1000 (under-five). The major causes of under-five mortality include malaria, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, and vaccine-preventable diseases. Malnutrition is also very prevalent contributing to over half of childhood mortality and causing stunting of growth in 44% of children under 5 years. The HIV/AIDS prevalence is also high (11.3% among adults) and new HIV infections are common in children who do not have access to prophylaxis from vertical transmission at birth.
There is a huge shortage of physicians in the country (estimated at one per 37,000 residents), with less than 50 pediatricians, no pediatric subspecialists, and one pediatric surgeon serving the entire country. Our project seeks to equip the future generation of Mozambican pediatricians with the tools they need to continually learn and improve the care they provide for children in Mozambique.
For any questions please contact Emily Hartford, M.D.,the UCLA faculty in-country pediatrician, at ehartford@mednet.ucla.edu or 206-429-5199.
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