Population Health in Northern Mozambique. The Civil Society Opinion: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Context: The Government of Mozambique, responding to Islamic insurgency since 2017, aiming to design a resilience strategy in Northern Mozambique (Cabo Delgado, Nampula and Niassa provinces), asked Lúrio University in 2021 to perform a consultation with grassroots communities in civil society and internally displaced people, to assess their health situation, needs and proposals.Materials and Methods: Qualitative descriptive study with focus groups discussions in urban, rural, inland, and coastal communities and internally displaced people, respecting ethical, safety, confidentiality, and preventive measures of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Convenience sampling was determined in each community and participants were selected with the support of local leaders, focusing on "resource people", stratified by adults’ gender and youth. Demographic and social data were analysed with SPSS software and answers to health questions were collected in writing and dealt with discourse analysis by category and subcategory. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.Findings: A total of 54 focus group discussions were held with 320 participants, 47.5% female, 65.6% adult and 34.4% adolescent and youth, 23.8% internally displaced persons. Most families recognise the importance of the national health service but feel cheated by the widespread corruption in public services, COVID-19 pandemic, and insurgency.Conclusion: The grassroots communities of the three provinces of northern Mozambique face daily challenges to their livelihoods and consider that public services and external support are insufficient. Valuing the availability of a free national health service, they point out serious limitations in these services, but also some proposals for solutions.