Luanda — The vice-president of the republic, Fernando da Piedade Dias dos Santos today praised the National Committee on Prevention of Maternal Deaths, proclaimed on the sidelines of the Forum on Municipal Health System, as an important piece of the campaign to reduce maternal and child mortality.

Addressing the closing session of the Forum, opened Thursday, the vice-president stated that new committee will be very important in the mobilization and advocacy of the process to reduce maternal and child mortality rates, through its actions near the leaderships, public authorities of the private sector and before the international community.

He urged for the setting up of death audit committees at national, provincial, municipal and institutional levels in order to secure the audit and epidemoilogical surveillance of maternal, new-born and under five deaths.

For the vice-president, the speedy campaign for the reduction of maternal mortality and respective information is an important milestone towards the implementation of of several national and international commitments assumed by Angola and contributing for the social development of the country and the african continent.

According to the vice-president, the national health system must match the expectations of the populations on the access to better and more accessible health care, in its organizational and functioning plans.

He considered the municipalities as the basic units of planning and management of health development, due to its approach to citizens stating that health has to be closser to the population, meaning the providing of better working conditions to health professionals and demanding better quality services from them.