LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Amref Health Africa in Malawi on Friday launched the much awaited the Health Systems Advocacy Partnership (HSAP) program that seeks contributing to stronger health systems in in
Sub-Saharan Africa can realise their right to the highest attainable sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Partnership focuses on strengthening human resources for health and access to essential sexual and reproductive health commodities, while advocating for good governance and equitable health financing.
Malawi, alongside Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, are the beneficiary countries
of this project.
In the partnership, the program will promote strong civil society and health stewards while strengthening links between organisations advocating at the local, national, regional and international levels.
Isaac Songea, board chairperson Amref Health Africa in Malawi told the gathering at capital Lilongwe that the program will contribute to capacity of civil society actors and health stewards with needed knowledge, technical skills among others.
Songea disclosed that the organisation’s budget is expected to go up to US$2.5 million yearly due to increase of projects running.
“A strong health system is a pre-requite to the delivery of quality and equitable healthcare by any nation leading to robust health for its citizens. We started with one project in 2013 but now we have reached up to nine changing people’s lives across Africa including Malawi.
“With resources available, we deemed it necessary to collaborate with the Government in strengthening the health system of Malawi through this project focusing on human resources for health, sexual and reproductive health commodities and services as well governance and financing of the health sector
The organisation is working closely with the media to advance its agenda hence the laud from Joseph Mazizi, Chairperson of Africa Media Network for Health in Malawi.
Mazizi urged all stakeholders in the health sector to partner with his grouping for objective reporting on matters affecting the sector.
I his remarks, Dr. Dan Namalika, Ministry of Health Secretary who presided over the launch applauded Amref Health Africa for introducing an E-Learning programme that is aimed at upgrading nurses from Nurse Midwife Technicians to Registered nurse midwives.
Dr. Namalika added that the organisation is contributing towards strengthening human resources for health and access to essential sexual and reproductive health commodities.
Amref Health Africa and African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST) are the leading organisations alongside civil society organisations at national and local levels.
HSAP focuses on four of the World Health Organisation’s six building blocks for strong health systems, namely: human resources for health, essential health commodities, good governance and equitable health financing.
Amref Health Africa in Malawi largely focusses on the first three themes. The three-year project started in Malawi in 2017 and runs until 2020. Its major areas of implementation are at national level as well as Chitipa, Ntchisi and Mangochi districts.
The HSAP is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and is being implemented across the five countries by African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation (ACHEST), Amref Health Africa, Health Action International (HAI) and WEMOS.
