Integrated Health Services to improve the country’s Health Sector

Lilongwe, May 10, Mana: Malawi Equity Health Network (MHEN) has hailed government for launching Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan 3 and Malawi Health Financing strategy describing them as a huge milestone in achieving the provision of integrated services in all health institution in the country.

Recently the Ministry of Health Launched the two Strategic documents through place briefing which was held at Sunbird Capital Hotel in Lilongwe, during the meeting Minister of Health, Khumbize Chiponda highlighted that the strategic would help to turn Health Centres into Community Hospitals for effectiveness of integrated health care provision.

She emphasized that the strategic plan was aiming at increasing life expectancy, reduce high mortality rates, reduce HIV prevalence and enhance infrastructure development and services.

In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Friday in Lilongwe, Executive Director for MHEN and Chairperson for Malawi Universal Health Coverage, George Jobe said the provision of integrated health care was a good development and it was an initiative which the institution has been lobbying with government for the past years

“This is a development that we have been waiting for, the news is very promising and it will help to reduce deaths among Malawians,” he said.

Jobe said that integrated health service provision would help the country to reduce the cost in terms of health sector management in cases of Emergences and Health interventions.

“Through a single trip a number of interventions can be carried out for various diseases which is cost effective.”

“And let us look at the example of COVID-19, we should be able to draw lessons from such incidents if we want to improve our health service delivery by ensuring that the health sector is highly financed,” the Executive Director said

He indicated that the health financing strategy would health the sector to mobilize the intended and needed resources in order to ensure that the health sector was well financed.

He stated that the two documents would help the health sector to thrive and be able to address possible challenges and provide solutions to the bottlenecks facing in the health sector in country.

Jobe said MHEN and all organization under the body would continue working with government to ensure the smooth implementation of the two documents

“We will work with government to ensure that the Malawi Health Sector Strategic plan and the Health Financing Strategy are fully implemented and achieved,” he added.

Jobe commended government for a 12 percent allocation to the Ministry of Health in the 2024/2025 national saying this was complementing with the Abuja declaration which state that every national budget must contribute 15 percent to the health sector.

Chairperson for Non-Communicable Diseases Alliance -Malawi Chapter, Maud Mwakasungula said the initiative would help health workers to provide comprehensive treatment and support under one roof to patients in the country.

She added that the currently national budget was reflecting government commitment in promoting and enhancing the health sector in the country,