Assessment of the distribution of human and material resources for eye health in the public sector in Nampula, Mozambique

Dulnério Barbosa Sengo; Zubair Momade Abudo Salamo; Isaura Ilorena d'Alva Brito Dos Santos; Laura Mavota Mate; Sancho Manuel Chivinde; Raul Moragues; Pablo Caballero Pérez; Inmaculada López-Izquierdo

doi:10.1186/s12960-023-00812-w

Assessment of the distribution of human and material resources for eye health in the public sector in Nampula, Mozambique

Hum Resour Health. 2023 Mar 31;21(1):27. doi: 10.1186/s12960-023-00812-w.

Authors

Dulnério Barbosa Sengo¹, Zubair Momade Abudo Salamo², Isaura Ilorena d'Alva Brito Dos Santos², Laura Mavota Mate³, Sancho Manuel Chivinde⁴, Raul Moragues⁵, Pablo Caballero Pérez⁶, Inmaculada López-Izquierdo⁷

Affiliations

¹ Faculdade Ciências de Saúde, Universidade Lúrio, Bairro de Marrere, R. nr. 4250, Km 2,3, Nampula, Mozambique. dulnerio@yahoo.com.br.
² Faculdade Ciências de Saúde, Universidade Lúrio, Bairro de Marrere, R. nr. 4250, Km 2,3, Nampula, Mozambique.
³ Ministério dos Combatentes, Av Mártires Machava 307, Cidade de Maputo, Moçambique.
⁴ Hospital Central de Nampula, Av Samora Machel, Bairro Central, Cidade de Nampula, Moçambique.
⁵ Departamento Estadística, Matemáticas e Informática, Universitas Miguel Hernandez, Av de la Universidad s/n, 03202, Elx, Spain.
⁶ Departamento de Enfermería Comunitaria, Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública e Historia de la Ciencia, Universitat d'Alacant, Carretera Sant Vicent del Raspeig s/n, 03690, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, Alacant, Spain.
⁷ Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Universidad de Sevilla, Av. Reina Mercedes s/n, 41012, Sevilla, Spain.

Abstract

Background: The unavailability of human and material resources can affect access to eye health services, constituting an obstacle in the fight against avoidable visual impairment. This study aimed to assess the availability and distribution of human and material resources for eye health in the public sector in Nampula province.

Methods: A mixed method approach was used, which included document reviews (to extract information regarding the number of professionals and inhabitants in each district) and application of a questionnaire to heads of the ophthalmology department in each health facility (to obtain the list of available equipment). The ratios of eye health professionals per population in Nampula province and each of its districts were calculated and evaluated taking into account the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Based on the level of care of each health facility, the availability of equipment was evaluated.

Results: Nampula Province has not reached the recommended ratio of eye health professionals per population in the different categories (ophthalmic technicians with 0.8 per 100 thousand inhabitants; optometrists and ophthalmologists with 0.4 and 0.2 per 250 thousand inhabitants, respectively). Most districts of Nampula did not reach the recommended ratio in the three categories of professionals, except Nampula City (provincial capital). However, there was a greater concentration of professionals and facilities with eye health services in the provincial capital. Primary and secondary level health facilities lacked some equipment to provide eye health services within their scope.

Conclusions: There is an unequal distribution of the workforce in Nampula and the centralization of surgical services at the Central Hospital of Nampula level. Therefore, there is a need to review resource distribution strategies and decentralization policy of eye health services in Nampula.

Keywords: Allied ophthalmic personnel; Distribution; Equipment; Eye health professionals; Eye health services; Mozambique; Nampula; Ophthalmologist; Optometrist.

MeSH terms

Health Facilities
Health Personnel
Health Services*
Humans
Mozambique
Public Sector*