Maputo City Council creates First Commission on Social Determinants of Health in Mozambique
“Most of the burden of diseases that exist, in all countries, is the result of the conditions in which people are born, live and age, and Mozambique is no exception”.
“Most of the burden of diseases that exist, in all countries, is the result of the conditions in which people are born, live and age, and Mozambique is no exception”, these were the words of Professor João Schwalbach, invited to speak of the relevance of Social Determinants of Health, at the public presentation event of the First Commission on Health Determinants of Mozambique.
Created and presented today, June 8, 2022, by the Department of Health and Social Action of the Municipality of Maputo, with the technical support of Medicus Mundi, the Commission on Social Determinants of Health is a multisectoral body for the defense of the right to health. composed of the councils of the Municipal Council of Maputo, civil society and academic institutions. This body understands that poor health affects not only the poorest, but the entire health system of a country. Therefore, he believes that working in a multisectoral way can help to more easily correct inequalities in health and guarantee health for all residents of Maputo.
In turn, the Director of Medicus Mundi in Mozambique, Justo Calvo, stated that, after 28 years of activity by this NGO in the country, it continues to believe that the social determinants of health should not be ignored, for this reason it supported and will continue to support the multisectoral work strategy for the defense of the right to health and the correction of inequities in health. Calvo also underlined that investing in research is essential to ensure that all the Commission's actions are based on evidence, in order to strengthen the capacities of the Municipal Health Directorate in its action and in the design of socio-sanitary health policies.