Luanda — President João Lourenço said Monday, in the north-central Bengo Province, that it is necessary to take measures in cases of medical negligence in the country's hospitals.

The President was speaking to the press after inaugurating the new Bengo General Hospital, located in Bucula commune, about five kilometres off Caxito City, which was named Reverend Guilherme Pereira Inglês.

João Lourenço admitted that cases of medical negligence still exist, as they do everywhere in the world, and that the authorities will continue to deal with them.

He noted that as an example, in the most recent case of medical negligence in the mistreatment of a citizen who went to a hospital, the concerned authorities took the necessary measures, denying that there was impunity.

The statesman admitted that at the moment the health system in Angola is not perfect.

The Reverend Guilherme Pereira Inglês hospital has capacity for 200 beds, 15 clinical areas spread over 24 blocks, six residences for professionals and a haemodialysis centre.

The new hospital, whose construction began in July 2021, cost the state coffers around USD 63.180 million. It will be a centre for training and scientific research and will include various services, especially general medicine, paediatrics and surgery.

The minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta, informed that the hospital was built with the aim of being a benchmark in humanised care of excellence, scientific research and staff training.

The contract generated around 650 direct jobs in various categories.

The tertiary level hospital will guarantee the provision of medium and highly complex services, considerably reducing evacuations to Luanda and abroad, thus being able to provide health services to the population of Bengo and neighbouring provinces.

ADR/MRA/jmc