Maputo — Mozambique's Ministry of Health (MISAU) has launched a traceability seal for medicines and medical supplies to track products within the National Health Service (SNS) and combat theft.

The new security mechanism was presented on Monday at the Central Medical Stores (CMAM), in Maputo, during the official receipt of a 35-million-US-dollar shipment of pharmaceuticals and medical-surgical items. Half of the shipment was funded through the World Bank.

Speaking on the occasion, The Health Minister Ussene Isse stated that the measure "will help us fight the theft and diversion of medicines. Few countries on the continent have the capacity to use traceability seals to monitor where National Health Service medicines are located."

Isse emphasized that securing supply chains is critical to ensuring products reach patients directly and accelerate medical procedures.

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"Having vast stocks of medicine means nothing if they do not reach the patient, improve care, or speed up surgeries", the minister said, calling on chief nurses and clinical directors to strictly audit inventory, down to individual pairs of surgical gloves, during shift handovers.

The received shipment represents a partial delivery to address national shortages. Additional kits and medical supplies are scheduled to arrive shortly for distribution to health facilities and community health posts across the country.

World Bank representative Fily Sissoko said that the availability must be paired with institutional accountability. "Technology is only transformative when institutions use it. Tracking data will help identify stocks, fix distribution gaps, and ensure supplies reach their intended recipients", he said.