Malawi embraces K8.5bn health rights project
The Malawi Parliament has signed the third phase of a Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida)-funded Sexual Reproductive Health Rights, HIV and Aids Governance Project.
Malawi becomes the sixth national Parliament after Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique and Lesotho to implement the project initiated by the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) Parliamentary Forum and is open to 15 Sadc member States.
Speaking on Wednesday in Lilongwe after Malawi Parliament and Sadc-Parliamentary Forum secretary-general Boemo Sekgoma signed the project implementation agreement, First Deputy Speaker Madalitso Kazombo welcomed the project, saying sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR), HIV and governance issues should be approached from a human rights perspective.
He said the launch was taking place when Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique recently experienced an outbreak of cholera and climate change was aggravating the acute global upsurge of the disease.
“There is no doubt that the climate crisis is one of the key challenges of our time and the time for action is now,” said Kazombo.
He said an often-overlooked aspect of the climate crisis is how it intersects with SRHR.
Kazombo said impacts of this intersection were extensive, and included reduced or unavailable services, harmful impacts on maternal health due to heat exposure and increased incidence of sexual and gender-based violence in situations of humanitarian crises or displacement.
On her part, Clerk of the Parliament Fiona Kalemba said the second phase of the project posted impressive results as shown by an escalation in SRHR parliamentary deliberations and members of Parliament championing SRHR issues.
She noted that family planning budgets had been progressively increased in Malawi, with allocations rising from K200 million in 2021-2022 to K475 million in 2022-2023.
“Oversight interventions by MPs ensured that line ministries, development partners and civil society organisations [CSOs] are held accountable to SRHR issues of access to family planning, maternity services, medicines, child marriages, etc,” said Kalemba.
She said the multi-stakeholder partnership framework under the project brought members of Parliament (MPs), line ministries and CSOs together to address national SRHR and HIV and Aids issues.
In her remarks, Sekgoma commended Malawi for helping to nurture collaboration among Sadc parliaments.
She also concurred that Malawi did well under the previous phase of the project.
“We are proud to note that in this year’s national budget, Malawi allocated 12 percent to health as part of implementing the Abuja Declaration target of allocating at least 15 percent of the national budget each year to improving healthcare systems,” said Sekgoma.
The three-year project began in November 2023 and is scheduled to end in October 2026.
Sida has provided $5 million (about K8.5 billion) for the project.
