“Being where I am today means a lot to me. Programs funded by the United States Government (USG) were like a school and a bridge that helped me to get to where I am today.” says Santos Mucelo, currently serving as the Laboratory Mentor for Corromana health facility at Molumbo district. Corromana health facility is one of the health facilities that graduated from receiving technical support from a USG-funded International NGO to the Provincial Health Authorities and local Association Centro pela Saúde Global (C-Saúde). Based at Molumbo district capital, Santos Mucelo is the District Laboratory Chief and his own career has followed a similar trajectory as the support provided to Corromana health facility.
Born in Mocuba, Zambézia province, Santos Mucelo joined to the Instituto de Ciencias de Saúde de Quelimane in 2015 and completed his Government of Mozambique (GoM)-funded mid-level academic in 2017 training graduating as Laboratory Technician. He passed the pre-employment GoM tests, but due to GoM budget limitations he couldn’t start working. His case was and continues to be similar to hundreds of health professionals across Mozambique, who although they have the necessary skills they cannot provide their services at health facilities that face shortages of qualified health professionals. It was in this context that, at the end of 2018, the USG-funded International NGO Friends in Global Health (FGH) provided a sub-agreement to Zambézia Provincial Health Authorities for hiring mid-level health professionals throughout the province. Santos was one of these professionals and started working at rural Molumbo district as a Laboratory technician, focusing on HIV-related laboratory work.
“My initial experience was very good. I didn’t expect to have this opportunity.” recalls Santos. USG enabled him to step into the professional environment, apply his academic knowledge, and begin a promising career journey. But the start wasn’t without hurdles. Working in the field brought practical and emotional challenges, while also providing invaluable lessons. ““Foi o meu primeiro contacto com doentes na linha da frente e a vida no terreno não foi fácil. No entanto, esta experiência ensinou-me muito sobre trabalho de equipa e como lidar com a adversidade.””
Santos participated in USG-funded technical trainings and received mentoring that significantly broadened his skills. “. “Aprendi muito e ainda estou a aprender. Estas formações e as orientações regulares foram vitais para o meu crescimento e continuam a influenciar directamente o meu trabalho.””
Em 2020, Santos atingiu um marco na sua carreira quando foi finalmente integrado na folha de pagamentos do GdM. Continuou a crescer e hoje, como Chefe do Laboratório Distrital em Molumbo, supervisiona equipas e garante a qualidade dos serviços prestados em todas as unidades de saúde do distrito.
In October 2024, with the USG funding through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), C-Saúde initiated the implementation of the Avante Saúde program. C-Saúde assists provincial health authorities in various districts and Molumbo is one of them – Santos did not miss the opportunity:
““Quero continuar a melhorar o sistema de saúde pública. Vou continuar a aplicar tudo o que aprendi”.diz Santos, que é agora um dos mentores das unidades graduadas.
Santos’s progression—from unemployment, to being hired by GoM through the support of an international NGO, to joining the government’s payroll, and ultimately becoming a mentor to other GoM providers—demonstrates the transformative power of USG programs. Santos is not an exception, but rather one of the 91 health professionals at leadership positions in Zambézia province, who were once supported by USG-funded sub-agreements. C-Saúde works with these leaders, ensuring that they seize the opportunity to retribute the technical support they once received and that they continue to build capacity of the public health system in Zambézia province.
