First Lady calls for more health sector support

First Lady Monica Chakwera has called for more support towards the health sector if Malawi is to achieve universal health coverage.

Speaking in Lilongwe on Monday when she opened Nguluwe Health Post, she said the country requires more health facilities to avoid preventable deaths, especially among pregnant women and babies.

The First Lady said: “Most patients and pregnant women are being subjected to walking long, bumpy and dusty distances to access services.

“If we work together, partners will come in to support us. A healthy nation is a developed nation because only healthy people can participate in development activities.”

Chakwera further called on parents to practise family planning to be able to support their children.

The Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan III seeks to reduce distance to the nearest health facility to within a five kilometre radius for every Malawian by 2030.

In her remarks, Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda also called for more support in constructing hospitals, saying government plans to erect about 900 health facilities by 2030 and has since constructed 70 since 2020.

The minister faulted political interference for the delay in finishing some projects, especially after a change of government.

“Apart from constructing new ones, this government is also completing the construction of hospitals started by previous governments.

The facility has a catchment area of 19 000 people that used to travel up to 29 kilometre (km) to access services at Bwaila Hospital, 21km to Chitedze Health Centre and about 17 km to Likuni Mission Hospital. n