Country Map Here


Capital    Maputo
Official Language Portuguese
Population 21,669,278
(2009 estimate*)
# Living with HIV/AIDS 1,400,000
(2009 estimate*)
# Living with TB 74,000
(2009 estimate*)
# of Malaria Cases 4,310,086
(2009 estimate*)
*All data is courtesy of globalhealthfacts.org
Updated March 2011

Ministry Foreign Affairs webpage

The Republic of Mozambique lies in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, and Zimbabwe and South Africa to the west. The area was colonized by Portugal in 1505, and gained independence in June 1975. After independence, a prolonged civil war hindered economic development until the mid-1990s. Mozambique has seen strong economic growth since the end of the war due largely to reconstruction.

Despite the influence of Islamic coastal traders and European colonies, the people of Mozambique have largely retained an indigenous culture based on small-scale agriculture. Mozambique's most well-known art forms are wood sculpture and dance. The Makonde in northern Mozambique are particularly renowned for their wood sculpture. The middle and upper classes continue to be heavily influenced by the Portuguese colonial and linguistic heritage.

Mozambique has a tropical climate with two seasons, a wet and dry season. Climatic conditions vary depending on altitude. The coastal capital city of Maputo sees average temperatures between 13-31°C (55-88°F), depending on the time of year.

Mount Murresse / Photo by ASM
 Mozambique

LabCap Objectives

  • Offering technical assistance to clinical microbiology laboratories for optimizing the diagnosis of HIV-related opportunistic infections (OIs)
  • Mentoring and training Mozambican laboratorians to strengthen bacteriology, parasitology, and mycology
  • Assisting with the development of a National Reference Laboratory for Microbiology (NRLM)
  • Improving quality assurance and quality control of microbiology
  • Guiding the development of an external quality assessment (EQA) program for microbiology
  • Developing and conducting workshops on specimen collection, storage and transport

Program Highlights

Strengthening Microbiology Services
ASM LabCap has strengthened clinical microbiology services in Mozambique since November 2007.

In January 2008, ASM supported a six-week technical assistance visit, which included consultations with the Ministry of Health (MISAU), as well as conceptualizing an EQA program for microbiology within the country.

From February 2008 through end of 2010, ASM offered onsite mentoring and training of Mozambican technologists and scientists on basic clinical bacteriology at the Hospital Central de Maputo (HCM). ASM supported multiple short-term intensive clinical microbiology training opportunities to select Mozambican microbiologists in Brazil in 2008.

And, in 2009, LabCap implemented national basic microbiology workshops for technical staff nationwide.

Mentoring Programs to Strengthen TB Diagnostics
The efforts in Mozambique were expanded in 2010 and 2011 to include broader mentoring programs. Since February 2011, ASM has supported the National TB Reference Laboratory in Maputo with mentoring and capacity building encompassing over 6 months contact time this year. It has resulted in the capacity building of 6 -7 staff members, improvement of workflow and support with the implementation of novel technologies. The new methodologies introduced include standardized specimen processing methods in line with WHO recommended reagents and processes, TB liquid culture using the MGIT 960 machine, rapid identification of MTB complex using chromatographic immunoassay methods, and molecular techniques, particularly the GeneXpert, which ASM supported for implementation at the lab.

Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation (SLMTA)
In April and May of 2011, assisted the new National TB Reference Lab in Maputo with optimizing TB diagnostics via mentoring for SLMTA (Strengthening Laboratory Management Toward Accreditation).

In addition, to the mentoring outlined above, one specific program (with the ministry of health, Ministerio de Saude - MISAU) introduced ASM LabCap trained SLMTA facilitators to the SLMTA process in the country. As part of this, in February, June and October 2011 (SLMTA workshops 1, 2 and 3), a trained SLMTA facilitator from ASM LabCap supported the facilitation and mentoring of laboratory staff from more than 10 clinical labs in Mozambique. Over 35 technical and quality management laboratory staff attended each workshop. In addition, the LabCap SLMTA co-facilitator mentored local staff as part of their training toward becoming SLMTA facilitators.

Strengthening External Quality Assessment for Microbiology
In June 2011, ASM LabCap supported the National TB Reference Laboratory with a two week technical assistance program and trained staff on the production of proficiency panels for AFB microscopy in addition to providing a technical introduction into external quality assessment processes and methods.

An additional technical assistance program from ASM (in October 2011) supported the Microbiology Reference Laboratory with gram stain EQA panel results assessment and program rollout.

Both trainings will be followed up with further technical assistance in early 2012. Additional updates to follow.