Health research, the MDGs and policy making in Mozambique.

Health research can play an important part in achieving the goals of improving health, economic development and reducing poverty, even though a review of the literature suggests that little attention is given to the subject. Mozambique as a developing country has scarce resources for health research and so its health research efforts need targeted at pressing concerns and be capable of influencing policy-making. A way forward is being developed so that position of policy-makers and researchers is clarified and co-ordination better organised.

Quality of registration of maternal deaths in Mozambique: a community-based study in rural and urban areas.

Maternal mortality is an important indicator used to assess the level of development of a country and particularly the coverage of health services. In Africa where the maternal mortality ratios are about 100 times higher than those of developed countries the situation is even worse due to problems of underregistration. In Mozambique the figures officially used are derived from the data of some hospitals in the main cities.