By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, September 11, Mana: Assistant Project Officer for Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN), Helbert Chakwawa has called on men to champion child health issues to ensure wider under-five vaccine coverage.

Chakwawa appealed on Wednesday during a supervision tour of Chitsime Mother Care Group, at Traditional Authority Makata and Wambila Mother Care Group, Traditional Authority Kapeni in Blantyre, which were formed under the Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project to improve distribution and access to quality health services.

Speaking during the tour, Chakwawa said according to African culture, women have the responsibility to take children to the hospital, saying there was a need for men to support vaccine coverage by advocating and encouraging women to bring children for vaccination.

“Gender-related barriers and gender inequality can prevent people especially men from playing active roles on issues to do with child vaccine coverage as such involvement of men is essential for successful child vaccination and immunization. Their involvement can also contribute to increased coverage considering that they are heads of families with responsibilities of all decisions including health issues,” he added.

Chakwawa therefore expressed satisfaction over mother-care groups' involvement in child health issues, observing that mother-care groups also greatly contributed to wider vaccine coverage, adding that MHEN will ensure that every child receives vaccine. 

In her remarks Senior Medical Officer at the Blantyre District Health Office, Dr Gloria Mdachi expressed gratitude over MHEN’s intervention on child vaccine saying introduction of mother care group has greatly born positive impact of vaccine coverage.

She said men are ideal champions, adding that they have the potential to help in widening vaccination coverage to reach hundred per cent child immunization.

“Initially as a district we were at less than 80 per cent before MHEN came in with introduction of mother care groups to boost under five children vaccine coverage. The district has now registered 89 percent,” she said and expressed hope that the impact will be greater if they take active role in championing child vaccination.

Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project is being implemented in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Ntchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Nzimba south, Nzimba north and Chitipa by MHEN through the Ministry of Health with funding from GAVI amounting to 3 Million US dollars.

The project involves 33 mother care groups in Blantyre.