After its independence from Portugal in , the Mozambique government established a primary health care system that was cited by the WHO as a model for other developing countries.
RENAMO 's attack on government infrastructures included health and education systems from to Domestic health policy initiatives have begun making their own contributions to improvements in the country's health care, as well as through collaboration with international aid. In , the Government of Mozambique formulated the National Public Investment plan — a nationwide initiative towards poverty reduction and social development.
In , an integrated three-year plan for improved and expanded investment in public programming was implemented, including public health programming. Through the duration of these and more social programming in Mozambique post-civil war, an emphasis was placed on improving dispersion of resources for the prevention and treatment of Mozambique's most prevalent health challenges, as well as towards improvement in public health education initiatives as a means of prevention.
The National Health Service depends on external financing to pay for medicine. There is considerable reliance on foreign non-governmental organizations. There is a small private sector in urban areas, and there are still traditional medicine practitioners. Hospital medicine, some basic medicine and medicines distributed by Community Health Workers are free.
Medicine dispensed by the primary care network in rural areas is charged at a standard rate of 20 Mozambican metical per prescription. The National Regulatory Authority of Medicines was established in The State Pharmacies Company runs community pharmacies. There is a black market and counterfeit medicine is circulated. The country has one of the lowest proportions of clinicians in the world. A National Health Service has been established, but only extends to about half the population.
