Browsing by Author "Malawi Government"

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    2019 Flood Response Appeal
    (Malawi Government Printing Press, 2019-03-01) Malawi Government
    In early March, a severe weather system formed off the eastern coast of Mozambique and hit Malawi with heavy rain accompanied by strong winds in before moving back to the Mozambique channel where it intensified into Cyclone Idai and then hit Malawi a second time. The heavy and persistent rain led to severe flooding across some districts in southern Malawi. More than 868,900 people have been affected, including more than 86,980 displaced, with 60 deaths and 672 injuries recorded according to the Government. In total, fifteen districts and 2 cities have been impacted. While Machinga and Zomba districts have been most affected, accounting for more than 29,000 affected households per district, Nsanje (18,000 households), Chikwawa (16,000 households) and Phalombe (22,848 households) recorded the highest number of displaced persons. Nsanje district recorded 17,400 IDPs (3,867 households); Phalombe recorded 5,526 IDPs (1,228 households). In 2015, Malawi was also affected by floods with close to 230,000 people were in IDP centres with an estimated 26,000 IDPs located outside centres/in hard to reach areas. The same districts, Nsanje, Chikwawa, Phalombe and Zomba were the most affected. With agriculture being the main source of livelihood for the rural population in the country, the heavy rains and floods have impacted agricultural activities, as fields are inundated and recently planted crops have been destroyed. Ongoing post-flood assessments indicate the impact on people’s livelihoods. However, as agricultural production accounts for nearly one-third of Malawi’s GDP and about 80% of its export revenue, it is likely that the potential loss of harvest will impact their livelihoods in the medium and long-term. Women and children account over 60% of the displaced population and are likely to be more affected by the impact of the floods. About 70% of women in the affected districts are small scale farmers with the principal source of livelihood being agricultural production. It is therefore likely that the potential loss of harvest will have a greater impact on women and children. In Nsanje, the heavy rains and floods occurred in areas already experiencing a severe food insecurity situation. Approximately 37% of the population in the Extension Planning Area do not have food from their own production, and what existing crops have planted have been damaged or swept away by the flood. The Malawi Vulnerability Assessment Committee conducted an assessment in July 2018 which projected that 3,306,405 people (22% of the population) falling in IPC Phase 3 or worse, and would require humanitarian assistance for 2 to 6 months during the 2018/2019 consumption year.
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    Malawi National Cancer Control Strategic Plan 2019-2029
    (Government Printing Press, 2019-01-01) Malawi Government
    In Malawi cancer is of growing concern, causing significant morbidity and mortality due to lack of comprehensive cancer prevention, early detection, treatment and palliative care services. The IARC GLOBOCAN estimates for Malawi indicate total annual new cancer cases at 15,349, with 5966 cases among men and 9383 in women around 2012. Among women, the major cancers were; uterine, cervix (n=3684), Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS, n=997), esophagus (n=895), breast (n=762); among men, the major ones were KS (n=1810), esophagus (n=1094), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n=695), prostate (n=349) and urinary bladder (n=309). Malawi has the highest age standardized incidence rate (75.9/100,000 women) of cervical cancer in the world, with the risk of one out of 14 Malawian women developing cervical cancer in her life time. The projected cancer burden might be underestimated due to inadequate cancer diagnostic services and underreporting of clinically diagnosed cases given that only 18% of all reported cancers had pathological confirmation. This national cancer control strategy will serve as the policy document for planning and implementing cancer prevention, early detection, treatment, follow-up and palliative care interventions at different levels of governance and for the efficient monitoring and evaluation of the cancer interventions. It outlines a multi-sectoral partnership to address key issues related to specific major cancer types, taking into consideration the disease burden, risk factor prevalence, available resources and a variety of stake holders. This Strategy aligns itself to the efforts of non communicable disease (NCDs), Clinical Directorate and National Health Sector Strategic Plans (HSSPⅡ) (2017-22) and other policy documents. The strategy aims to achieve a state of health for all the people of Malawi with low burden of cancer that would enable them to lead high quality and highly productive lives, boosting national development. It will provide strategic direction in implementing a coordinated and responsive cancer control framework leading to a reduction in incidence, morbidity and mortality and improved quality of life through effective partnerships and collaborations for prevention, diagnostics, treatment, palliation and financing of cancer control activities to improve the wellbeing of Malawians. To achieve the above objectives, planned interventions and monitoring and evaluation are organized into six thematic areas: 1) prevention; 2) screening and early diagnosis; 3) treatment and follow-up care; 4) palliative care and survivorship; 5) governance and financing; 6) cancer control research, monitoring and evaluation. The planned prevention strategies include; avoiding cancer causing chronic infections, tobacco use, reduce alcohol consumption, maintaining a healthy body weight, regular physical activity and consuming healthy diets. Primary interventions encompass those which reduce exposure to potential risk factors associated with cancers as well as immunization against infectious agents commonly associated with cancers such as human papillomaviruses (HPV) and Hepatitis-B viruses. Integrating the various forms of interventions into other programs will likely give optimal public health benefits, with minimal costs and long-term cancer control benefits. Some areas of possible integration include sexual and reproductive health initiatives, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) control programs, national immunization programs to improve uptake of HPV and Hepatitis B vaccinations, occupational and environmental health initiatives and other lifestyle modification programs targeting the general public. A multi-sectoral approach is critical in the context of tobacco control, since Malawi has some key challenges as tobacco farming and exports are major contributor to Malawi’s economy and the country has not yet ratified WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Recently, Malawi has completed HPV vaccination of around 23,000 girls aged 9-13-year-old girls with high coverage and is planning a national scale up is underway. A national HIV prevention strategy for the period 2015-2020 is currently being implemented to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets by 2020, which will have important implications for the prevention of Kaposi’s Sarcoma. Cancer detection at its early stages enables treatment that is generally more effective, less complex and more affordable, resulting in long-term survival and high cure rates with good quality of life. Early detection involves two major approaches, namely screening involving detection of preclinical disease in asymptomatic people and early diagnosis involving early detection in symptomatic patients. These two are fundamentally different in resource and infrastructure requirements, impact and costs, but require prompt linkage to treatment and follow-up care without delay. In response to the high incidence and mortality from cervical cancer, Ministry of Health and Population (MOHP), is implementing nationwide visual inspection screening with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical neoplasia as part of the Cervical Cancer Control Program (CECAP) in collaboration with its stakeholders. Efforts are taken to expand and improve the coverage of VIA screening and treatment of screen positive women. With a judicious combination of HPV vaccination and screening, Malawi can anticipate dramatic future reductions of cervical cancer. Infrastructure and trained human resources for major cancer treatment modalities such as surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone therapy are grossly inadequate or lacking in Malawi with consequent poor survival outcomes. Type of cancer, stage at diagnosis and quality of treatment and follow-up care are important determinants of treatment outcomes. Efforts will be taken to improve availability and access to cancer early diagnosis and treatment and it is anticipated that most cancer patients will get optimal, resource appropriate Treatment and care in due course. Cancer treatment in Malawi is anticipated to take new dimension with the development of the National Cancer Treatment Center (NCTC) in Lilongwe which is due to open in 2020. The operationalization of the cancer centre will be the single most important initiative in the national cancer control program of Malawi given the fact that cancer treatment is currently highly fragmented and provided in overextended hospitals with limited infrastructure, consumable supply chain problems and limited skilled and experienced human resources. The cancer center is planned within the campus of Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), as a matrix type of cancer centre with its own cancer surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, palliative care, medical records and hospital cancer registry services and sharing pathology and other allied diagnostic and super-specialty treatment services with KCH. Cancer services are provided with highest quality of care in cancer centres that are autonomous, without administrative and beaurocratic entanglements and hitches. It is important that the proposed National Cancer Treatment Center should be an autonomous body with its own governing and scientific councils for is efficient functioning. Government of Malawi recognizes the importance of palliative care to improve the quality of life and symptom burden for all patients and families affected by life threatening illnesses including cancer. In October 2014, MOHP, Government of Malawi formulated a national palliative care policy to take forward the national agenda for the health sector. The National Cancer Control Strategy will heavily rely on the implementation of the national palliative care policy including appropriate access to immediate release morphine for the treatment of severe cancer related pain to achieve tangible progress in extending high quality appropriately staffed palliative care services across Malawi. The national cancer control strategy and its monitoring and evaluation shall be implemented in a program mode under the supervision of a national cancer control coordinator supported and advised by the cancer control advisory committee. Monitoring and evaluation forms an essential component of the cancer strategy and will seek to link and benefit from existing systems such as population based cancer registration, hospital registries, medical records departments, cross sectional surveys, follow-up studies and case series. The inputs of interventions and the evaluation of outcomes will be monitored and evaluated using short-term (1-2 years), medium term (3-5 years) and long term (5-10) time lines. The National Cancer Control Strategy will risk remaining a paper tiger unless it is linked with planned budget outlays and budget lines to support its implementation and evaluation.
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    National Disaster Risk Management Communication Strategy
    (Department of Disaster Management Affairs, 2014-08-01) Malawi Government
    Malawi is exposed to many hazards that cause disasters every year, impacting thousands of people across the country. Recently, and as a result of population growth, rapid urbanization, climate change, environmental degradation and other factors, the magnitude, impact and frequency of these disasters has been on the increase. Overall, the hazards that are commonly experienced include floods, heavy storms, droughts, dry spells, epidemics, fires, landslides and HIV and AIDS. Nationally, although 15 districts are considered as disaster prone, experience has shown that other districts are also affected. The country has recently witnessed disasters of high magnitude in districts and areas that have not experience disasters. In addition, disasters, such as floods, have occurred in cities and urban areas, which have traditionally not been considered in national disaster risk management efforts. Malawi has established weather related early warning systems for floods, strong winds, and drought, among others. At present a range of dissemination methods for early warming are used. These include, but are not limited to, radio (national and local), email, television, print media, internet websites, regional and national workshops and mobile and fixed phones. There is, however, limited understanding of the effectiveness of these methods in terms of relevance, impact and appropriateness for vulnerable communities. In addition, although there exist a lot of indigenous early warning systems, practices and beliefs by the community, these have not been studied and documented in detail. The Disaster Risk Management Communication Strategy has been developed as an important tool in the implementation of disaster risk management programmes in the country. The Government of Malawi recognizes the huge impact that disasters have in the socio-economic development of the country and in attaining the development aspirations of the country as outlined in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II). Apart from the potential loss of life, the main negative impacts of floods, for instance, are damage and destruction of property, agricultural and livestock systems, damage to infrastructure, disruption of social services, internal displacement, separation of children from caregivers and possible trauma and psychological distress. Unless measures are found to address these disaster risks, the Malawi Government, its development partners and other stakeholders will continue spending resources that would have otherwise been spent on productive sectors of the economy. It is, therefore, the desire of the Malawi Government that information on disaster risk management be made accessible to everybody in a form that will be understood and enable people take positive actions to tackle the disaster risks they are exposed to. It is only when people are informed that they can take steps to adopt resilience enhanced practices. The National Disaster Risk Management Communication Strategy (NDRMCS) has been developed to ensure that those exposed to disasters are informed about the risks and are aware of the measures to prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from these hazards. Due to the importance of weather, climate and early warning systems in disaster risk management, the strategy has deliberately emphasized the need to integrate issues of weather, climate and early warning systems as a way of preparing communities for disasters. This, importantly, means that we need to find channels of communication that are accessible to all people, particularly the most vulnerable, such as those that are illiterate, women and children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The NDRMCS targets many stakeholders nationwide. These include communities at large, local government, NGOs, private sector, politicians, government agencies, opinion formers, religious leaders, development partners and the general public. The strategy also targets policy makers that play a critical and strategic role in policy development and implementation of disaster risk management programmes. The Government further recognizes the media as an important partner in disaster risk management, particularly in promoting adoption of positive behaviors that contribute to attaining a disaster resilient Malawi. It is therefore my expectation that the NDRMCS will provide a harmonized way of learning, information and knowledge management and communication on disaster risk management issues at all level. If implemented, the NDRMCS should lead to a well-informed nation on disaster risk management. In the long-term, the improved awareness and knowledge on disaster risk management will increase resilience of communities, which is in line with the draft Disaster Risk Management policy and the Hyogo Framework of Action. Successful implementation of the strategy requires continued collaboration, consultation, engagement, participation, resourcing and coordination of all those concerned.
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    National Disaster Risk Management Policy 2015
    (Malawi Government Printing Press, 2015-01-05) Malawi Government
    Malawi faces a number of disasters, both natural and human-made which include floods, drought, stormy rains, strong winds, hailstorms, landslides, earthquakes, pest infestations, diseases outbreaks, fire and accidents. The intensity and frequency of disasters has been increasing, in light of climate change, population growth, urbanisation and environmental degradation. Disasters disrupt people’s livelihoods, endanger human and food security, damage infrastructure and hinder socio-economic growth and development. Disasters also increase the poverty of rural and urban households and erode the ability of the national economy to invest in key social sectors which are important to reducing poverty. It is, therefore, important to address disaster risks for the socio-economic development of the country. Disaster risk management, together with social support, is considered within theme three “Social Support and Disaster Risk Management” of the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II); a national development strategy that ensures that resources are targeted towards priority areas thereby contributing to the attainment of sustainable development. The development of the National Disaster Risk Management (NDRM) Policy is a major step towards achieving sustainable development through ensuring that disaster risk management is integrated in development planning by all sectors in the country. The policy will also facilitate the effective coordination of disaster risk management programmes in the country. It highlights a set of key priority areas and strategies for making Malawi a nation resilient to disasters. It also provides a common direction to all government, non-governmental organisations, private sector organizations, media and development partners at national and local levels on how to effectively implement disaster risk management programmes and activities. I commend all stakeholders for their commitment in the development of this policy. This policy calls upon all sectors and stakeholders to pursue a proactive and integrated way of reducing risks to hazards through sustainable, innovative and realistic strategies with strong partnerships and networks. The government is committed to ensure implementation of the policy so as to significantly reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of disasters in the country. It is, therefore, my sincere hope that all stakeholders in the country will align their activities towards this policy in order to ensure that resilience to disasters is built at national, local and community levels.
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    National Disaster Risk Reduction Framework 2010-2015
    (2010-06-01) Malawi Government
    Malawi faces multiple hazards in both rural and urban areas, which include floods, heavy storms, droughts, dry spells, epidemics, fire incidents, landslides, earthquakes and HIV and AIDS. Between 1974 and 2003, these hazards cumulatively affected 25 million people making the country one of the worst affected amongst the poor countries based on mean annual number of affected per 100,000 people. Environmental degradation, poverty, rapid urbanization, and lack of effective disaster risk reduction efforts have compounded the vulnerability of the population to hazards and consequently, exacerbating the disasters. Disasters play an important role in increasing poverty of rural and urban households and can explain larger geographical distribution of poverty in the country. They erode the ability of national economy to invest in key social sectors which are important to reducing poverty. For example, the southern region has the highest concentration of poor people and at the same time experiences most severe forms of disasters, such as flooding and droughts. Major disasters have had substantial budgetary impacts, resulting in additional unplanned expenditure, widening fiscal deficits and increased domestic borrowing and thus, in rising domestic interest rates and additional inflation2. The nature and pattern of weather related hazards is changing as a result of climate change - becoming more frequent, intense and unpredictable. For example between 1970 and 2006 Malawi experienced 40 weather related disasters, but 16 of these occurred after 1990. More importantly, the number of people affected by these disasters has increased sharply since 1990. The geographical coverage of floods and droughts has also increased. For instance, prior to 2001, only nine districts in Malawi were classified as flood-prone; in 2001, 16 districts were affected. Changes in other climatic and non climatic variables are also increasing peoples vulnerability to high impact hazards. In an effort to understand the changes in the nature and pattern of these hazards, Malawi prepared a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) that clarifies the impact of climate change on disasters. The Government realizes that any aspirations to reduce poverty in the country in a sustainable manner will require strategic and proactive investment in disaster risk reduction.
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    The Disaster Preparedness and Relief Act 1991
    (Malawi Government Printing Press, 1991-12-17) Malawi Government
    An act to make provision for the co-ordination and implementation of measures to alleviate effects of disasters, the establishment of the office of Commissioner for Disaster Preparedness and Relief, the establishment of a National Disaster Preparedness and Relief Committee of Malawi, and for matters incidental thereto or connected therewith.
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    Tropical Cyclone Freddy
    (Department of Disaster Management Affairs, 2023-03-11) Malawi Government
    With Tropical Cyclone Freddy gone, DCCMS indicates that normal rainy season weather conditions will now be experienced. On 13th March, a state of disaster was declared in the 14 districts that were severely affected by the cyclone. Emergency Operation Centre had been set up at the World Food Programme (WFP) offices in Limbe, Blantyre for effective and efficient coordination during the emergency response. Search and rescue of people is continuing in Nsanje and Phalombe districts where people are still believed to be trapped. With the help of sniffer dogs, the Search and Rescue team have recovered 24 bodies (14 bodies on 17th March and 10 bodies on 18th March, 2023) in Soche, Blantyre. Government has received international support in the area of search and rescue and various relief items. As of today, 18th March, 2023, 86,604 households have been displaced, while 445 people have died, 282 are missing, and 918 have sustained various injuries. Public infrastructure such as schools, health facilities, and district and main roads have been damaged in all affected districts. Government through Department of Disaster Management Affairs is coordinating and leading all humanitarian actors in the assessment of disaster impact and needs as well as provision relief assistance to the affected people. The most critical needs are search and rescue for those trapped by flood waters and killed by the mudslide; and the distribution of food and non-food items to the 362,928 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who are currently residing in one of the 506 camps set up for those who have lost their homes and belongings.