Benguela — Angola's rate of maternal, infant and infant-juvenile death rate are still high, coupled with a high prevalence of infectious and parasite diseases, with stress to the great endemic diseases, respiratory infections, diarrheas and malnutrition of children under five years of age.

This is despite the significant improvements to the main global indicators.

This was said by the secretary of State of Health, Carlos Alberto Masseca, who was speaking at a press conference on the reform in the national health system and the 25th Consultative Council of the Health Ministry taking place in central Benguela province.

According to the official, Angola is still recording a persistence in the outbreak of cholera, rabies and measles, including an exponential rise in Non-communicable Chronic Diseases, road accidents and violence, with the transmitted diseases responding for more than 50 percent of deaths.

The secretary of State also said the Health Ministry is holding the meeting to design a strategy to try and lessen the problem.

On the other hand, he considered the 2012-2015 National Plan on Sanitary Development (PNDS) 2012 -2015 an essential management instrument of integration designed to support the technical and financial policy of the National Health Service (SNS).

To the secretary of State, the needs in health and the current problems facing the SNS are mainly related to the still poor sanitary coverage, insufficient maintenance and poor system of reference and counter-reference among the three SNS levels, namely the reduced human and health technical resources.

Other factors mentioned by the official are weaknesses like logistic information and communication and insufficient financial resources, coupled with the funding model.

The objectives of the national plan on sanitary development focus on improving healthcare, in the promotion, prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and reinforcement and articulation between first aid care and hospital services and others.