Hélder Macul, MD has ambitious goals in his new role as technical advisor for differentiated service delivery (DSD) at the National STI-HIV/AIDS Program (NACP) at Mozambique’s Ministry of Health (MOH).
One of his priorities is to improve monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems for differentiated service delivery (DSD) implementation in Mozambique; another is to develop a standardized approach to evaluating the impact of DSD services on the health outcomes of people living with HIV.
In September 2019, Mozambique’s MOH rolled out new M&E tools to enhance and accelerate the collection of DSD information, using a master-card and electronic patient tracking system to collect DSD-specific data at the patient level.
“We are using an electronic system to report and collect DSD information, but this system is not in all health facilities. There is also no tangible way of measuring the actual reach of our DSD services. My goal is to contribute to reducing the burden of HIV for recipients of care by expanding these services. In order to ensure we are meeting our DSD targets, these services should be expanded to every health facility in the country,” Dr. Macul said.
Dr. Macul is not new to the Ministry of Health or to CQUIN. He joins the NACP after working as the Head of the Health Information Systems Department at the Mozambique MOH. Before that role, he was the focal point for Quality Improvement at the NACP for two years. Dr. Macul has also held positions as a clinical service provider for patients living with tuberculosis and HIV at the Cumbana Health Center in the Inhambane Province. He started his career as the provincial supervisor for NACP in the Inhambane province.
“Dr. Macul is a brilliant young man, with a passion for people and a ton of ideas for how we can improve health outcomes for recipients of care. We are confident he will be able to perform all the duties of his new role,” said Aleny Couto, MD, HIV national program chief with the Ministry of Health in Mozambique.
“ICAP Columbia’s CQUIN project has a great working relationship with Mozambique, the country has rolled out multiple initiatives to scale up DSD, and we are looking forward to working with Dr. Macul as Mozambique continues to strengthen its DSD models,” said Peter Preko, MB.ChB, MPH, CQUIN project director.
“CQUIN is a network that supports the country implementation of DSD models for people living with HIV,” Dr. Macul said. “I look forward to learning different approaches that will improve the health of recipients of care and reduce the burden on health systems.”
Mozambique has been a member of the CQUIN network since 2017.
