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Since independence in 1975, development in Mozambique has been guided by a sequence of Five Year Plans, (Planos Quinquenais de Desenvolvimento). In 2002 the Government of Mozambique (GOM) initiated a series of reforms in all development sectors, aiming to start a process of decentralisation and bringing management closer to the lower levels of state organisation (Provinces and Districts). For the Municipalities, a devolution model was chosen that is currently in the process of being rolled out to all municipalities in the country. It is within this context that the health sector initiated its Five Year Strategic Plans (Plano Estrategico do Sector da Saúde - PESS) in 2000 with the aim to gradually improve the health status of the people. The current PESS is the third of its kind (PESS III), representing a continuation of this good management practice in the country, aiming to improve access and quality of current services (Pilar 1), while at the same time continuing a series of Reforms within the health sector that aim to improve effectiveness and efficiency in overall service provision at all levels (Pilar 2). The health sector distinguishes four levels of service provision, going from Health Posts and Health Centres at the level of villages and sub-districts to District Hospitals to Provincial Hospitals and finally to the Central / Specialised Hospitals at the top of the health pyramid.