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Government using expired plan on killer diseases

For three years now, government has been operating without a national action plan for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) despite that they cause between 32 and 40 percent of deaths in Malawi.

Ministry of Health acting director of NCDs and Mental Health Division Hastings Chituzu Chiumia confirmed that the plan expired in 2022, but said efforts to develop a new strategy were underway.

Chiumia added that the ministry delayed to have a new plan because they wanted to realign it with the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) III 2023-2030, which was launched last year.

But stakeholders in the fight against NCDs warn that the absence of a plan makes it harder for the country to meet aspirations of its 2063 development agenda.

Older persons are encouraged to have
regular checks of NCDs. | Nation

Further, this is coming at a time when the World Health Organisation (WHO) es timates t hat NCDs problems in the region could overtake those of communicable diseases by 2030, if no action is taken.

NCDs are a group of health conditions that are not primarily caused by infection. They include cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, chronic lung disease, stroke and mental health.

The failure to develop a new plan could also derail achievement of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, which Malawi and other member States adopted in 2015.

SDG number three aims to achieve healthy lives and well-being of all at all ages and its target number four talks about reducing by one-third, premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment, and promoting mental health and well-being.

NCD Alliance Malawi vice-chairperson Samuel Kumwanje observed that the absence of the plan on NCDs is giving room to stakeholders to use their own guidelines and respond according to their expectation or as guided by donor element.

“The NCDs strategic plan is very important because it provides a frame work to coordinate multispectral action and plays a critical role in achieving UHC [Universal Health Coverage] ,” he observed.

However, Kumwanje urged other partners to help the ministry in responding to NCDs because “if we are not careful NCDs will become the leading cause of death in Malawi”.

He warned that lack of NCDs prevention could end up in both government and communities incurring excessive expenditure considering that NCDs are “very expensive” to manage.

“We request the ministry to speed up development of the plan and we further request to consult and include people living with NCDs and the alliance in the process,” he said.

Health Rights advocate Grace Febbie Ngulube agreed with Kumwanje, saying an NCD blueprint is critical as it provides a roadmap for coordinated and evidence-based action while defining priorities and setting measurable targets to tackle NCDs effectively.

Ngulube noted that without a plan, efforts risk being fragmented, which can lead to duplication of efforts, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities for impact.

She said: “Stakeholders, including healthcare providers and funders, struggle to align their activities without a clear framework.”

The advocate noted that NCDs require sustainable financing as such the ministry should consider integrating NCD financing into broader health initiatives to ensure continuous funding.

Ngulube said it was disappointing that for three years, the ministry has not developed a successor plan despite NCDs being a major contributor to mortality in the country.

The expired plan was developed in 2017 to serve as a stepping stone for national commitment towards prevention and management of NCDs after it was noted they were non-prioritised and underfunded.

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