Constraints on the achievement of the targets for 2015

• Insufficient number and quality of human resources to respond to the needs. This hampers the expansion of Emergency Obstetric Care, post-delivery visits, post-abortion care, the prevention of vertical transmission and the preventive intermittent treatment of malaria, among others.
• Poor management capacity of the Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme, including family planning.
• Deficiencies in the availability and restocking of goods and products for reproductive health.
• A deficient referral system at the various levels for the timely referral of obstetric complications and other emergency situations.
• Poor community involvement, particularly of the men, in problems related to reproductive health, and especially family planning.
• A deficient information, monitoring and evaluation system, as well as inter and intra-sector coordination.
• Poor effective inter-sectoral cooperation in an effort to increase multi-sector interventions for the reduction of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality and the promotion of a healthy sexual life.

Recommendations for the achievement of the targets for 2015

• Invest strongly in the initial training of specialized maternal health professionals, and their availability at district level (maternal and infant health nurses, surgery technicians and doctors);
• Continuous training and expansion of emergency obstetric care and essential obstetric care;
•  Implement the Family Planning Strategy;
• Strengthening of the logistical system to guarantee that the goods and products for sexual and reproductive health are at the right place and the right time as fundamental pillar for the provision of quality care;
• The need to give priority to guaranteeing service quality through formative supervision at all levels;
• Ensure the implementation of interventions for strengthening community involvement, especially focused on the youth and on the involvement of men in the reproductive health services;
• Strengthening of the information, monitoring and evaluation system and inter and intra-sector coordination.

Positive factors of progress in the indicators

• Since 1977 Maternal Health has been on top of the Government's priorities and has benefited from an increase of investment.
• Strong commitment at the highest political level between the Government and the Development Partners to Maternal, Neonatal and Infant Health: the Presidential Campaign for Maternal, Neonatal and Infant Health (2008); the National Guide to Accelerate the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality (2008); the Integrated National Plan for the Achievement of MDG 4&5 (2009); the Campaign to Accelerate the Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA, 2009); and the National Partnership for the Promotion of Maternal, Neonatal and Infant Health (2010).
• The Family Planning Strategy has recently been approved with the objective to increase considerably the use of the Family Planning and Contraception Services by the Mozambican population.
• The effort of the programmes for the achievement of MDG5 is measured annually through indicators that are part of the Joint Health Sector Performance Assessment Framework (Government and Partners) and occupy an important place in the political dialogue.

Source: Report on the Millennium Development Goals - Mozambique 2010