A VITAL FIGURE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

Felisberto Armando never imagined that his daily routine of managing the facilities at the regional hospital in Monapo, Mozambique would lead him to become a vital figure in the fight against COVID-19.  Thanks to the training he received from USAID and the U.S.-donated oxygen plant at the hospital, he now plays an important role in saving lives.

Felisberto arrives at work early and inspects all equipment ward-by-ward. He then checks on the hospital’s new, sophisticated oxygen-making plant. Alone, he provides both the expertise to run the plant and the hard physical labor to fill ten large oxygen cylinders daily. 

From an early age, Felisberto was fascinated with electronics, often fixing small devices with ease. He moved from a rural village to Monapo where he became one of the 10 percent of Mozambicans that completes a high school education. Upon graduating, he worked as a laborer building the new regional hospital. He was noticed for his hard work ethic, and was offered a permanent position on the hospital’s maintenance team.

The hospital’s sterilizing equipment was broken more often than not. Patients frequently had to leave Monapo for surgeries because the hospital had no means of sterilizing instruments. Felisberto proved himself by disassembling the machine, learning how it worked and making it operational again. When salinity corroded the hospital’s water pumps, Felisberto refurbished them. He cleaned air conditioning filters, unclogged vacuum cleaners, tightened the bolts of sagging beds- Felisberto became the go to fix-it guy. 

STRENGTHENING OF THE OXYGEN ECOSYSTEM

In 2021, when COVID-19 hit, doctors found that oxygen made all the difference in keeping patients alive. Strengthening the oxygen ecosystem became a top priority of the Ministry of Health. USAID contributed two high-capacity oxygen plants, eight liquid oxygen plants, 300 oxygen concentrators, and 1,100 oxygen cylinders to support Mozambique. USAID also funded technical assistance that supported health workers.

The Ministry of Health chose to develop a high-capacity oxygen plant in Monapo due to its central location.  Suddenly, Felisberto found himself with an enormous challenge, far beyond a rusted pump or a clogged vacuum cleaner. USAID subsequently sent him to Maputo where he learned to operate the sophisticated machinery of the oxygen plant. Felisberto expressed:

“[I] thank USAID a lot…we know very well that without oxygen there is no life. The patients needed this precious oxygen very much, because before we received this equipment we suffered a lot.”

As Felisberto works tirelessly to keep the oxygen flowing, he has become more than just a technician at the hospital - he is a hero for his community, a key worker in the struggle against COVID-19, and a symbol of hope for the future.