03 | THE DELIVERY – HEALTH
HEALTH
Healing the next generation in the Comoros
Public health professionals tend to agree on at least one thing: Investing in healthcare is not just a necessity but also a strategic advantage — both for individual countries and the international community. In 2024, the OPEC Fund provided US$37 million to the healthcare sector in partner countries worldwide.
Life expectancy in the Comoros, a volcanic archipelago in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean halfway between Mozambique and Madagascar, has improved markedly since the turn of the century — rising from 62 years in 2000 to 68 in 2020. Yet, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), preterm birth complications remain one of the top five causes of death, in part due to a lack of specialist care. The new El-Maarouf Hospital project in the capital Moroni aims to tackle the problem head on, with plans to reduce the need for medical travel abroad by 90 percent while halving the number of emergency evacuations. The project involves the construction of a 300-bed hospital to serve the entire population of more than 800,000 people, particularly mothers and babies. Complying with the latest international standards, as set out by the WHO, the hospital will offer state-of-the-art clinical, diagnostic and auxiliary services. It will also become a training center for public health and medicine, which is currently not available in the Comoros. The OPEC Fund has contributed a US$17 million loan as part of a co-financing partnership with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), World Bank Group, Trade and Development Bank (TDB) and the government of Comoros, for a total project cost of just under US$108 million. This investment will not only save lives, but also in the long run substantial amounts of money. Overall, it is set to reduce govern- ment health expenditure by around 1 percent of GDP, according to national estimates.
ABDULHAMID ALKHALIFA President, OPEC Fund
“We are pleased to expand our coop- eration with the Comoros. The new state-of-the-art hospital will enable citizens to receive modern healthcare services without having to travel abroad. We expect the new hospital not only to improve citizens' health, but also to strengthen the local economy.”
The new El-Maarouf Hospital project in the capital Moroni
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