Francisco Songane Explained

Honorific-Prefix:	Dr
Francisco Songane
Office:	Minister of Health
Term Start:	2000
Term End:	2004
Nationality:	Mozambique

Francisco Songane is a medical doctor and former Minister of Health of Mozambique who served from 2000 to 2004.^[1] He is a recognized "champion of maternal and child health"^[2] and has been "recognized both nationally and internationally for innovation and leadership" in the field of maternal and child health.^[3]

Early career

Dr. Songane is medical doctor specialized in obstetrics/gynaecology and public health. His medical degree is from the University of Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, Mozambique. He trained at St. James University Hospital in Leeds, UK. He holds a master's degree in Public Health (MPH) from Boston University and Masters of Science in Financial Economics (MS) from the University of London, UK.^[4]

World Health Organization

In December 2005, Dr. Songane was named the new Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health.^[5] This 'partnership' has more than 300 governmental, inter-governmental and non-governmental members working to ensure the well-being of all women, infants and children.^[6] In announcing his naming to the post of Director, the Medical News Today, stated that "[a]s Minister of Health of Mozambique, Dr. Songane is credited for using a partnership approach for averting the outbreak of disease during the floods of 2000 and 2001, as well as for the conclusion and operational launch of the country's health-sector strategy. He worked to introduce innovative interventions into the Mozambican health system, including Hepatitis B vaccine, trials on a potential Malaria and use of a more effective Cholera vaccine, as well as antiretroviral therapy into the public system—an example that has been shared globally."^[5]

Dr. Songane has been a vocal defender of the human rights of women and children before the UN Human Rights Council^[7] and at other leading international meetings.^[8]

Selected publications

• J. Bryce, N. Terreri, C. Victora, E. Mason, B. Daelmans, Z. Bhutta, F. Bustreo, F. Songane, P. Salama, T. Wardlaw, "Countdown to 2015: tracking intervention coverage for child survival," The Lancet, Volume 368, Issue 9541, pp. 1067–1076 (2006).
• Marcelino E.S. Lucas, Jacqueline L. Deen, Lorenz von Seidlein, Xuan-Yi Wang, Julia Ampuero, Mahesh Puri, M.S., Mohammad Ali, M. Ansaruzzaman, Juvenaldo Amos, Arminda Macuamule, Philippe Cavailler, Philippe J. Guerin, Claude Mahoudeau, Pierre Kahozi-Sangwa, Claire-Lise Chaignat, Avertino Barreto, Francisco F. Songane, and John D. Clemens, "Effectiveness of Mass Oral Cholera Vaccination in Beira, Mozambique," The New England journal of Medicine, Vol. 352, No. 8, pp. 757–767 (24 February 2005).
• FF Songane, S Bergström, "Quality of registration of maternal deaths in Mozambique: a community-based study in rural and urban areas," Social Science & Medicine, Volume 54, Issue 1, pp. 23–31(January 2002).
• Bergström S, Povey G, Songane F, Ching C., Seasonal incidence of eclampsia and its relationship to meteorological data in Mozambique," Journal of Perinatal Medicine, Vol. 20, Issue 2, pp. 153–8(1992).

External links

• UN Biography
• The Lancet Profile

Notes and References

1. United States Directorate of Intelligence, "Chiefs of States and Cabinet Ministers of Foreign Governments," p. 67 accessed at https://web.archive.org/web/20070612235817/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/pdf-version/January2005ChiefsDirectory.pdf.
2. Clare Kapp, "Francisco Songane: Champion of Maternal and Child Health," The Lancet, Vol. 367, Issue, 9517, p. 1137 (8–14 April 2006).
3. Medical News Today, "Dr. Francisco Songane, Former Mozambican Health Minister, Named New Director of the Partnership For Maternal, Newborn & Child Health," accessed on 22 December 2005 at Web site: Dr. Francisco Songane, Former Mozambican Health Minister, Named New Director Of The Partnership For Maternal, Newborn & Child Health. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20081201162753/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/35310.php. 2008-12-01.
4. http://www.who.int/pmnch/about/secretariat/songane_bio_en/en/index.html Dr Francisco Songane, Director of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health
5. infra note 2.
6. See The Partnership (PMNCH) website at https://web.archive.org/web/20061116024058/http://www.who.int/pmnch/ (accessed 20 July 2010).
7. See United Nations, Report of the Human Rights Council, UN Doc. A/HRC/8/52 (1 September 2008), p. 286, Para. 1063 accessed at Report of the Human Rights Council, UN Doc. A/HRC/8/52 (1 September 2008)
8. Women Deliver 2010 Conference accessed at Web site: Women Deliver » Conferences » 2007 Conference » Plenaries at a Glance. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20100126064216/http://www.womendeliver.org/conferences/2007-conference/plenaries-at-a-glance/. 2010-01-26. Web site: Women Deliver » Conferences » 2007 Conference » Plenaries at a Glance . 20 July 2010 . 6 July 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100706023252/http://www.womendeliver.org/conferences/2007-conference/plenaries-at-a-glance/ . dead . and Webcast of Global Health Conference 2010 panel entitled "Can Country Ownership Work? Field Perspectives on Health Systems Strengthening"