Maputo, 1 November – A major fire has destroyed part of the oncology centre at Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), Mozambique’s largest health facility, damaging critical infrastructure that houses the country’s only specialised cancer treatment service.
The fire broke out inside the building on Sunday morning before spreading outside and engulfing the upper section of the facility.
Firefighters managed to prevent the flames from spreading to other parts of the building, particularly the ground-floor area housing the radiotherapy department, according to information provided at the scene.
At least 22 patients were safely evacuated and transferred to another ward, where they are expected to continue receiving medical care.
“We managed to evacuate all the patients. Thank God, no one lost their life,” Health Minister Ussene Isse said during his visit to the hospital.
He described the incident as a major setback for the country, given ongoing efforts to expand access to cancer treatment services. He added that the immediate priority was to ensure continuity of treatment while authorities assessed the damage and prepared a report on the incident.
Prime Minister Benvinda Levi also visited the hospital on Sunday morning to oversee the emergency response and coordinate measures to ensure that cancer patients would continue receiving specialised medical care.
During the visit, Levi was briefed on the evacuation operation and inspected the temporary accommodation arrangements for patients transferred to other hospital wards.
She praised the prompt response of healthcare teams in protecting patients’ lives and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to restoring normal medical services as quickly as possible.
“The central focus of our entire team is people’s safety and continuity of medical care. We will spare no effort to restore working and treatment conditions as urgently as possible,” Levi said.
The Prime Minister also expressed solidarity with affected patients and healthcare workers, while calling on Mozambicans to contribute towards the recovery of the damaged facilities.
“We would like to take this opportunity to appeal to the entire Mozambican society to join forces and make a solidarity contribution,” she said, stressing the importance of mobilising support to restore the services and ensure patients retain access to treatment.
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, HCM management has activated a contingency plan to ensure the safe transfer of specialised care and the gradual restoration of affected departments over the coming days.
The Government has pledged to keep the public informed about the recovery process and the findings of the technical investigation, with patient safety, continuity of treatment and the restoration of oncology services remaining its immediate priorities.
