Mozambique's Minister of Health, Accompanied by ISGlobal and CISM, Visits Madrid to Meet Representatives of Spanish Political and Civil Society

On Monday 6 July, Nazira Abdula, the Mozambican Minister of Health, visited Spain to attend a ceremony in Madrid organised by ISGlobal and Spanish Cooperation to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Manhiça Health Research Centre (CISM) in Mozambique. The following day, the minister met with several representatives of Spanish political and civil society to coordinate the strategies of the two countries and explore possible avenues for joint collaborations. 

Early Monday morning, the Health Minister met Ruben Moreno, Spain's Secretary General for Health, at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, which is one of ISGlobal's Trustees. Other participants were José Matsinha, Mozambique's Ambassador to Spain, Antoni Plasència, the director of ISGlobal, and Eusébio Macete, the director of CISM. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the challenges facing both countries in their ongoing efforts to strengthen their respective health systems, and to highlight the need to continue working together and to form a united front to meet the challenges facing global health, which transcend national borders.

Following this meeting, the Mozambican health minister and ambassador visited ISGlobal's Madrid offices, where—together with the directors of CISM and ISGlobal—they attended a working breakfast together with representatives of civil society organisations. The breakfast served to open a space for dialogue and sharing on the projects of the organisations working in Mozambique and allowed the participants to evaluate how these projects fit into the country's national health strategy. The attendees identified several ways that cooperation could strengthen the ongoing projects.

The last event on the day's agenda was a meeting with the Spanish Congress of Deputies' Health Committee, chaired by Mario Mingo, a member of Spain's Popular Party. During this meeting, Nazira Abdula emphasised the value of the relationship between Spain and Mozambique, especially in terms of health cooperation, and reviewed the main health challenges facing her country.