Quality Management Policy for the Health Sector
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Date
2017-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Malawi Government
Abstract
Malawi’s constitution affirms the intention of the Government to provide quality
health services responsive to the needs of Malawians and in line with global best
practices. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) period (2000-2015),
Malawi made significant progress in improving health outcomes by expanding
coverage to essential health services. However, inconsistent quality of care (QoC)
remains a major challenge. As a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), the Government of Malawi recognizes that extra effort and resources need to
be invested in fast-tracking improvements in QoC. These efforts will help accelerate
progress towards achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030.
The first national efforts to improve QoC and establish quality assurance systems
originate from the nineties, leading to the development of a National Quality
Assurance plan in 1998 and a National Quality Assurance Policy in 2005. Despite
these efforts and other quality improvement initiatives, there is still fragmentation at
policy and implementation levels across the health sector.
The Quality Management Policy for the Health Sector in Malawi (QM Policy) aims to
enforce a holistic, systematic, and coordinated approach to improve quality of care
across the health sector. The policy is in line with the Malawi Health Sector Strategic
Plan (2017–2022) and the Government-wide Public Sector Reforms launched in 2015.
This policy has been developed in the most participatory way possible, building from
the views of implementers and all partners working in quality management. As the
QM Policy reflects the aspiration of Malawians, its implementation will be based on
the principle of, “One Policy, One Strategy, and One Monitoring and Evaluation
Framework.” Therefore, all quality management initiatives must fully align to this
policy.
The Ministry of Health wishes to assure Malawians and all stakeholders that
Government has the political will to implement this QM Policy. It is our hope that this
policy will lead to a more unified and coordinated effort in the delivery of high quality
health services for the people of Malawi.