Mozambique’s health services are coordinated nationally by the Ministério da Saúde (MISAU), with provincial and district health services and individual health facilities responsible for local delivery. A Unidade Sanitária (US) means a health facility. A Centro de Saúde (CS) or Posto de Saúde (PS) is usually the first formal contact for routine care. Community outreach and an Agente Polivalente Elementar (APE), a community health agent, can extend basic services where facilities are distant or sparse. Cuidados de Saúde Primários (CSP), or primary health care, covers health promotion, vaccination through the Programa Alargado de Vacinação (PAV), basic diagnosis and treatment, maternal and child care, reproductive health and prevention of malaria, HIV, tuberculosis and vaccine-preventable diseases. Services also address non-communicable diseases, trauma, mental health and rehabilitation, although available capacity differs across locations. Hospitals provide the next levels of care. Hospital Rural, Hospital Distrital or Hospital Geral can provide inpatient treatment, routine surgery and broader diagnostic services. Hospital Provincial, Hospital Central and Hospital Especializado handle more complex specialist, surgical, intensive and rehabilitation needs. The formal system is designed to use referral and counter-referral between these levels, but distance, transport, staffing, medicine stock-outs, security conditions and available beds can delay or interrupt care. A person with an urgent or life-threatening condition should use the nearest suitable health facility or hospital. A single nationwide emergency telephone or ambulance pathway has not been confirmed, so local arrangements need to be checked. Mozambique’s legal framework recognizes a right to medical and health care and assigns a duty to promote and protect public health. Health policy also emphasizes equal access, patient safety, confidentiality and the Carta dos Direitos e Deveres dos Pacientes, although complaint and enforcement procedures are not uniform nationwide. Before visiting a facility, check its opening hours, available service, identification requirements and referral practice. Public, non-profit and private facilities operate under different arrangements; fees, waiting times and medicine availability vary locally rather than following one confirmed national standard. The national health information system, SISMA, records information such as admissions, discharges, tuberculosis, HIV, cancer and maternal or neonatal deaths. The MISAU Anuário 2025 reports 1,916 SNS facilities, including 1,842 primary facilities and 73 hospitals, with clear provincial differences. Traditional medicine is culturally widespread, and Practicantes de Medicina Tradicional e Alternativa (PMTA) and community practices can complement formal care. They do not replace assessment at a health facility for diagnosis or life-threatening symptoms.
Health in Mozambique
The Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) is Mozambique’s formal public health system, complemented by community and private providers. Primary facilities provide prevention, vaccinations, basic diagnosis and treatment, and maternal, child and reproductive care, while hospitals provide inpatient, surgical and specialist services according to their capacity. Access, medicines, staffing, referral times and service quality vary by province, distance and facility.
Tip
Match the facility to the need: use a CS or PS for routine primary care when it confirms the service, and use a hospital when inpatient, surgical, specialist or intensive care is needed. Treat distance, medicine availability, staffing and referral capacity as real planning constraints rather than assuming that every facility offers the same service. For urgent or life-threatening symptoms, go to the nearest suitable facility and confirm local emergency transport arrangements instead of relying on one nationwide system.