Mozambique Hosts a Regional PEN-Plus Study Tour
From left: Dr. Sheila Tualufo, director of the National NCD Control Program for the Mozambique Ministry of Health; Dr. Suzana Trindade of the Angola Ministry of Health; and Emilio Monteiro of the WHO Mozambique Office share a moment at Universidade Eduardo Mondlane’s Scientific Conference, held Sept. 16 in Maputo. (Photo by Joao Cardoso for the NCDI Poverty Network)
September was a big month for the NCDI Poverty Network’s co-secretariat in Maputo, Mozambique, and the Network’s entire Southern Africa Regional Hub. In the middle of the month, the co-secretariat and regional hub hosted a regional PEN-Plus study tour that brought together representatives from the Ministries of Health of Angola, Eswatini, and Lesotho. The study tour offered participants a firsthand look at Mozambique’s progress in implementing integrated care for severe, chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) through the PEN-Plus model.
Participants began the tour with a visit to the PEN-Plus clinic at Nhamatanda Rural Hospital, in central Mozambique. The visit enabled participants to observe service delivery at the district level, engage with providers and patients, and learn about site-level needs and experiences in delivering integrated chronic care.
The delegation then traveled to Maputo, where they held technical discussions with senior officials from the Mozambique Ministry of Health about policies and strategies that supported the initiation and implementation of PEN-Plus in Mozambique. Study tour participants also attended another landmark event for the co-secretariat, the biennial scientific conference of Universidade Eduardo Mondlane. The conference featured distinguished speakers, discussions about the latest innovations in noncommunicable disease care, and networking with national experts, researchers, and practitioners.
Dr. Ana Mocumbi, a cardiologist on the university’s faculty and a co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network, noted that the principal aim of the study tour was to use peer learning across countries to help strengthen national capacities for PEN-Plus initiation and implementation.
“We wanted to offer Mozambique’s experience with PEN-Plus as a valuable model for regional adaptation,” Dr. Mocumbi said. “The study tour reaffirmed the shared commitment of participating countries to the PEN-Plus vision: ensuring equitable access to lifesaving care for people living with severe noncommunicable diseases.”
GALLERY CAPTIONS (L to R): 1. Participants in the Mozambique study tour gather in front of the PEN-Plus Clinic in Nhamatanda. Participants include Ministry of Health (MOH) officials from Angola, Lesotho, and Eswatini; members of the PEN-Plus teams in Zimbabwe and Mozambique; and NCDI Poverty Network representatives.
2. Standing outside the National Health Institute, left to right, are: Dr. Suzana Trindade; Ivanilson Abilio; Dr. Teboho Nts'eli (top); Provincial Delegate Dr. João Manuel (center); Dr. Edi Fulai, NIH researcher; Ntombifuthi M. Ginindza; and Prof. Sam Patel.
3. Dr. Ana Mocumbi, co-chair of the NCDI Poverty Network and PEN-Plus Principal Investigator in Mozambique, presents at the UEM XIII Scientific Conference in September.
4. Representatives of Southern Africa Ministries of Health listen to speakers at the UEM XII Scientific Conference while Neusa Bay (at right, in headscarf), PEN-Plus Coordinator for the NCDI Poverty Network in Mozambique, translates. From right to left, after Bay, are Ntombifuthi M. Ginindza of the MOH in Eswatini, Dr Teboho Nts'eli of the MOH in Lesotho, and Dr. Suzana Trindade of the MOH in Angola.