By Petro Mkandawire

Blantyre, September 12, Mana: Blantyre District Environmental Health Officer, Innocent Mvula, has expressed gratitude over Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project saying involvement   of 33 Mother Care Groups as mobilisers has contributed to improved child vaccine coverage in the district.

Mvula told Malawi News Agency (MANA) this week that vaccine coverage in under five children has greatly improved with almost 89 percent compared to years before Mother Care Groups were taken on board.

He added that the district used to register 79 percent before the Health Strengthening Immunization System Project was introduced with Malawi Equity Health Network (MEHN) as lead partner.

“Mother Care Groups are able to mobilize resources to boost immunization coverage here in Blantyre. As such, we are working with them as our link with the communities.

“Before the groups were taken in, we had a lot of challenges like; follow-up of zero-dose children and lack of community advocacy on vaccine and Immunization,” he said, adding that communities are largely participating in immunization following mother care groups’ active engagement on issues of child health.

He, therefore, encouraged communities to embrace child vaccine and immunization to promote child health and further called on stakeholders in the health sector to invest more in Mother Care Groups, saying they are key to vaccine coverage.

Vice Chairperson of Mpendekera Mother Care Group, Maria Ligawo, of Traditional Authority (TA) Lundu in Blantyre said the care group play an active role in working with health workers in providing vaccine to many children than before.

“Before our involvement in child vaccination, most children got sick very often and most women used to spend three days in hospital with sick children. Our group mobilizes families to vaccinate their under five children,” said Ligawo who expressed satisfaction with increased number of children that access vaccine in her area following intensified community mobilization.

She, however, mentioned lack of reliable mode of transportation to reach every under five child and lack of necessary tools such as vaccine storage boxes as limiting factors that needs to be addressed by health authorities and partners.

Healthy Strengthening Immunization System Project is being implemented in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Mchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Mzimba South, Mzimba North and Chitipa by MHEN through Ministry of Healthy and other partners with funding from GAVI amounting to US$ 3 million.

MHEN is an independent alliance of organizations and individuals that seeks promote equity and quality health for all in Malawi.