National Community Health Strategy 2017 - 2022

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Date
2017-01-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Malawi Government
Abstract
The Government of Malawi is committed to improving health and livelihoods in Malawi through community health – the provision of basic health services in rural and urban communities with the participation of people who live there. Historically, Community Health has significantly contributed to improvements in Malawi’s health outcomes in particular attainment of MDG4. However, the community health system faces resource constraints and inconsistencies around quality of service – which negatively affect health outcomes. Recognising the importance of community health and the opportunity to address these challenges, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has developed the country’s first National Community Health Strategy (NCHS) for the period of 2017-2022. This strategy has been developed in collaboration of all partners and stakeholders in line with existing policies and the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II). This NCHS is intended to play an expansive role in ensuring that health services are accessible and patient-centred to achieve significant impact not just over the course of the next five years, but for a generation. Several consultations with various stakeholders, partners, civil society, and organizations across the health system, local government, other government departments, and communities highlighted community health’s issues, priorities and interventions. The core business of the NCHS is to ensure quality, integrated community health services which are affordable, culturally acceptable, scientifically appropriate, and accessible to every household through community participation. This strategy focuses on multiple areas such as integration of health services; community engagement; sufficient and equitable distribution of well-trained community health workforce; sufficient supplies, transport, and infrastructure, and more. This will contribute effectively to the attainment of national and international goals in particular Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 of Universal health coverage. The NCHS is more than a strategy. With a stronger community health system, we can all contribute to improved livelihoods for all people in Malawi. I, therefore, call upon all programme managers, donors, development partners, and implementing partners to take this strategy as the core document of reference for planning, implementing and evaluating community health services and for mobilizing resources and health financing, as it reflects the MoH’s aspiration for attainment of national and international health goals by improving the lives for all the people of Malawi.
Description
Keywords
Citation
Collections