Luanda — Angolan President João Lourenço said on Saturday in Luanda that he felt a "sense of duty accomplished" after the inauguration of the Pedro Maria Tonha "Pedalé" Hospital Compound one of the largest and most modern healthcare facilities in the country.
Speaking to the press at the end of a guided tour of the facility, the Head of State highlighted the difficulties faced during the construction, which began in 2012 and was only completed today.
"We are pleased to have overcome the various obstacles that have arisen since our first contact with this hospital, still under construction, both during the last term and this one. Thirteen years says it all. It means that long-standing problems were at the root of the delay," he stated.
According to João Lourenço, the first challenge was to remove the facility from the Military Household, ensuring that its beneficiaries would be the general population.
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"The military has the Military Hospital. The Military House doesn't need its own hospital," he emphasized.
Another constraint he highlighted was the need to replace the initial contractor, a measure that, he said, brought the project back to a faster pace.
He emphasized that after replacing the contractor, the project gained momentum, and "here we are, inaugurating the great Pedro Maria Tonha 'Pedalé' General Hospital," he stated.
Expansion Strategy
When asked about the government's investments in health infrastructure, João Lourenço clarified that the goal is to avoid patient overload in Luanda by also building referral units in the provinces and municipalities.
"We're not investing only in Luanda. We want to create a hospital belt in the peripheral provinces, with tertiary-level units, to contain the massive influx of patients from the interior to the capital," he explained.
The President cited the hospitals of Bengo, Guilherme Pereira Inglês, Cacuaco, Heróis Batalha de Kifangondo, and Sumbr, among others, as examples of investments already completed or nearing completion, adding that the capital continues to benefit from expansions and new units.
"Luanda has over ten million inhabitants. Sometimes it seems like the number of hospitals is sufficient, but it isn't. In addition to the Pedalé Hospital, we will complete the rehabilitation and expansion of the Américo Boa Vida, which will have approximately 600 beds and will be the largest hospital in the country. We also have the Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento, the Materno-Infantil do Zango, the Emílio de Carvalho, and others. Even so, it's still not enough," he acknowledged.
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The Head of State revealed that the Burns Hospital in Luanda will be completed in 2026, in addition to the expansion of the network of primary and secondary units in several municipalities. He said the important thing is that efforts are being made not only in Luanda, but throughout the country, to ensure better medical care for Angolans. AFL/ART/DOJ
