Tag Archives: Universal Health Coverage

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Africa’s health workforce expands but shortages, unemployment and migration intensify: WHO report

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Geneva, Switzerland, 05 May 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- Africa is producing more health workers than ever before, yet millions of people still lack access to care; hundreds of thousands of trained health professionals are unable to find jobs; and many of them are migrating. A deliberate shift linking education, employment, retention, quality, productivity and investment is needed to alter the paradox of growing health personnel numbers and unmet needs, a new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) finds.

Launched on 6 May 2026 at the Second Africa Health Workforce Investment Forum in Accra, the State of the Health Workforce in Africa 2026: Plan. Train. Retain. highlights a deepening crisis driven not by a lack of training alone, but by systemic failures in health worker employment, distribution and retention.

“Africa’s future depends on the strength of its human capital. Investing in our health workforce is not just a health priority, it is an economic and development imperative. This forum provides a critical platform to turn commitments into action and ensure that every African has access to quality care delivered by a skilled and motivated workforce,” said said Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice- President of Ghana.

The report is being launched as leaders gather in Accra to accelerate action.

“Hosting this forum reflects Ghana’s commitment to transforming health systems through sustained investment in our workforce. The evidence is clear: training alone is not enough. We must create jobs, strengthen skills, and retain talent if we are to deliver quality care for our populations,” said Honourable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, Ghana

Africa’s health workforce has grown to 5.72 million in 2024, up from 4.3 million in 2018. Yet this progress is not keeping pace with demand. The African region currently has only 46% of the health workers it needs.

A defining challenge is the persistence of a dangerous paradox: severe shortages alongside high unemployment. In 2024, an estimated 943 000 trained health workers were unemployed, even as health systems remain understaffed.

WHO has revised the projected health workforce shortage in the African Region by 2030 from 6.1 million to 5.85 million. This is an important signal that progress is being made. However, the reduction is marginal and fragile. It does not yet represent a structural transformation of the health labour market, and it could easily be reversed if countries do not accelerate investment in education, employment, and retention.

“Africa’s health workforce crisis is no longer defined by scarcity alone, but by systemic failure. We are training more health workers than ever before, yet too many remain unemployed while millions go without care. Without bold investment and coordinated reform to plan, train and retain health workers, progress toward universal health coverage will remain out of reach,” said Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

Training capacity has expanded significantly, with more than 325 000 graduates annually, but the report shows that training alone will not solve the crisis. More than half of new graduates in some countries remain unemployed or work in precarious roles, reflecting weak alignment between education systems, labour markets and health system financing.

Even where health workers are available, quality of care remains uneven. Health workers correctly diagnose only about 62% of cases and provide appropriate treatment in just 40% of those, exposing health clients to avoidable risks.

Retention pressures are intensifying. Nearly 46% of health workers report intentions to migrate, driven by poor working conditions and limited career opportunities, while absenteeism continues to erode system capacity, with losses estimated at up to 20% of the wage bill.

Despite these challenges, the report presents a strong investment case. Every US$ 1 invested in the health workforce can generate up to 10 times in financial returns and more than 30 times in broader social and economic benefits. Yet current investment levels remain insufficient. Countries would need to increase spending by approximately US$ 4 per capita per year, or expand workforce budgets by about 15% annually, to close the gap.

Participants are expected to review progress under the Africa Health Workforce Investment Charter and mobilize new commitments to accelerate reforms and financing. The forum will also introduce the Africa Health Workforce Agenda 2026–2035, a new regional strategy to drive coordinated action to plan, train and retain health workers at scale.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation.

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Welcome to Nairobi—let’s build together at World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2026

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Geneva, Switzerland, 24 April 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- World Health Organization (WHO) is poised to be a significant presence at the upcoming World Health Summit (WHS) Regional Meeting 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya. For the first time at either a global or regional level, WHO is co-organizing a meeting with the World Health Summit. This initiative has been spearheaded by WHO in the African region and is the result of an innovative partnership with WHS and Aga Khan University, Kenya.

The regional meeting, taking place from 27‒29 April 2026, will bring together global health leaders, policymakers, researchers and development partners to advance solutions for stronger and more resilient health systems.

Hosted by WHS and Aga Khan University and held in partnership with WHO, the Ministry of Health in Kenya and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the meeting will bring together over 1000 delegates from around 50 countries, participating in 80 sessions focused on strengthening health systems resilience, advancing universal health coverage and accelerating innovation in global health.

WHO has been actively engaged in the development of 80% of the meeting sessions, helping shape an agenda which focuses on strengthening health systems resilience, advancing universal health coverage and accelerating practical solutions to emerging health challenges.

“The World Health Summit Regional Meeting will focus on a theme that is important for the continent of Africa. We will be looking at the rising burden of chronic disease, changing patterns of infectious diseases and the health financing landscape in Africa and beyond,” says Professor Lukoye Atwoli, Dean of Medical College East Africa at The Aga Khan University, Kenya, and President of WHS Regional Meeting 2026.

Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, is a keynote speaker in six high-level sessions, including the opening ceremony which will be attended by His Excellency Williams Ruto, President of Kenya. Dr Janabi will also be speaking at 4 sessions that are being led and organized by WHO in the African Region. Topics range from global health security, health financing, and digital health sovereignty to an important side event on the development of the WHO AFRO Regional Strategic Plan 2026–2030 and Vision 2035.

“The WHO Regional Office for Africa is honoured to co-convene this World Health Summit Regional Meeting. Over these three days we will consolidate proof and deepen resolve. We will leave with regional commitments that are global in ambition,” says Dr Janabi.

Aside from Dr Janabi, Dr Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and Dr Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for the European Region, will attend the summit and give keynote speeches in several sessions. Eleven WHO programme directors from around the globe will attend as speakers and seven WHO staff are panel chairs for sessions. WHO has a confirmed speaker in 22 of the 80 sessions.

In total, almost 90 WHO staff are participating in the regional meeting. This includes around 20 support staff who will provide administrative, logistics and communications support to WHO speakers, chairs and other delegates. Staff are drawn from 4 country offices—Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Ghana—the three regional offices and WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The WHO exhibition booth promises to be a dynamic and meaningful space, featuring latest WHO publications, an interactive virtual reality installation which simulates polio vaccination in a community, and a demonstration of a WHO-developed AI application for emergency response.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation.

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Newly released 2025 scorecard unveils progress and setbacks on health and gender equality across Southern Africa

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Geneva, Switzerland, 26 February 2026- /African Media Agency (AMA)/- The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has launched its biennial scorecard, a critical tool that tracks progress on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) across its 16 Member States. New data, including from demographic health surveys, shows great strides in improving the sexual and reproductive health of people across the region, while in other areas, concerted efforts are urgently needed.

The SADC scorecard offers a regional snapshot of progress towards the implementation of the SADC SRHR Strategy and SRHR targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on health and gender equality. First developed in 2019, the scorecard serves as a social accountability tool and uses a “traffic light” system to track 20 indicators.

The scorecard highlights improvements in reducing adolescent birth rates and the vertical transmission of HIV, while sounding the alarm on a rise in sexually transmitted infections and the need for investments to further reduce maternal mortality:

Lowered Adolescent Birth Rates: Twelve Member States recorded a decline in adolescent births, which can be attributed to the high roll-out of life-skills HIV and comprehensive sexuality education in primary schools.

Decline in HIV infection rates: The region has seen a decline in new HIV infections, however, the latest scorecard suggests that the rate of reduction in new HIV infections amongst adolescent girls and young women aged 15 – 24 years is slowing in seven countries. This could be partially linked to a rise in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in half of the countries and a decline in condom use in a majority of countries.

Reduction in Maternal Mortality: Six countries recorded significant reductions in maternal mortality, based on their latest national health data. This can be attributed to the priority given by the region to reduce maternal mortality, which needs to be sustained in order to preserve the gains made.

Strong progress in the decrease in the vertical transmission of HIV: Twelve Member States are on track to meet the SDG target by 2030, five of whom already achieved the milestone in 2025. Despite this success, children and adolescent girls and young women are lagging behind in receiving HIV services.

In addition to the abovementioned gains, the scorecard also identified areas where concerted efforts are needed:

Family Planning: Eight Member States are not meeting the contraceptive needs of women. Investing in the contraceptive needs of women and adolescent girls can further reduce teen pregnancies and preventable maternal deaths, and ensure their contribution to their country’s economic growth and development.

Gender-Based Violence: Sexual and intimate partner violence remains persistently high across all Member States in the SADC region. Though all countries have made progress in putting in place relevant laws and policies, greater investments are required to ensure their implementation, including the integration of SRHR, HIV and GBV services, so that all survivors are able to ensure their health and well-being.

Domestic financing: No SADC country has met the ‘Abuja Declaration’ target of allocating 15% of their national budgets to health. Four countries have allocated more than 10% of their national budget to health. Countries need to accelerate domestic funding given declining donor investments if progress is to be made in achieving Universal Health Coverage, and to reduce out of pocket expenditures for citizens.

“The true power of this 3rd Milestone Scorecard lies not merely in what it measures, but in the action it demands from us. With only five years to 2030, we must move with urgency, we need to accelerate implementation, scaling what works, and we need to support our commitments with bold, measurable, and accountable actions,” said Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, Republic of South Africa.

“Investing in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is no longer just a public health issue; it is a fundamental economic imperative. Research has shown us that every dollar invested in family planning, particularly among the youthful population, can yield up to $100 in long-term economic benefits, yet our chronic underfunding and reliance on external aid actively sacrifices our demographic dividend. Political leadership must translate into urgent, domestic financial mobilization that meets the 15% Abuja target. Our greatest challenge is the paralysis between policy commitment and real-world execution. The SADC scorecard and mid-term review of the SADC SRHR strategy reinforces that Member States need to reform restrictive national laws, enforce gender-based violence and child marriage legislation, and fully integrate SRHR into climate adaptation plans to build truly resilient, rights-based health systems,” reaffirms H.E. Mr. Elias Mpedi Magosi, Executive Secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

Since 2018, the joint United Nations Regional Programme, 2gether 4 SRHR, composed of UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO, has supported SADC to develop, implement and monitor the SADC SRHR strategy and its scorecard, with funding from the Government of Sweden.

“The leadership of the SADC Ministers of Health and the Secretariat, guided by the SADC SRHR Strategy, is demonstrating tangible results: reduced adolescent birth rates, fewer maternal deaths, and decreased rates of HIV. These must be celebrated and safeguarded. However, the 2025 scorecard is a stark reminder that these gains are fragile. Without continued commitment and increased domestic investments, these gains risk being undone. As a long standing partner to SADC, the 2gether 4 SRHR programme remains committed to using the scorecard findings and working with Governments in areas where the region and countries are lagging behind.

Collectively, we must do better to ensure that all people can exercise their sexual and reproductive health and rights and that young people can achieve their full potential, so that everyone can contribute to the economic and social development of the region,” highlights Lydia Zigomo, UNFPA Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, on behalf of the Regional Directors of the 2gether 4 SRHR programme.

“Despite our successes, we now risk a two-speed region where gaps in family planning, HIV prevention, and gender equality strand 94 million adolescents without the wellbeing they need to drive the economic and social development of SADC. To avoid this, all Member States must invest urgently and in sustained ways in adolescent SRHR as a foundation for all SRHR,” concludes Jonathan Gunthorp, Executive Director, SRHR Africa Trust.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation.

Notes to editors:

The SADC scorecard is published every two years and tracks 20 indicators across SADC Member States, including information on rates of maternal and neonatal mortality, adolescent birth rates, family planning, HIV infections and treatment, STIs, including HPV, number of health facilities offering SRHR services and schools offering sexuality education, as well as number of health workers and budget allocated to health. The scorecard also tracks key legal issues which impact on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Milestones were set for 2025 and the scorecard’s traffic light system indicates green for progress and red for regression, against a baseline set in 2019.

Explore the scorecard

The SADC SRHR Strategy (2019 – 2030) serves as a policy and programmatic framework for Member States to ensure that all people in SADC enjoy a healthy sexual and reproductive life, have sustainable access, coverage, and quality SRHR services, information, and education; and can fully realize and exercise their SRHR. The 16 Member States in SADC include: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

About 2gether 4 SRHR:

2gether 4 SRHR is a joint United Nations Regional Programme, in partnership with Sweden, which brings together the combined efforts of UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF and WHO to improve the sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR) of all people in Eastern and Southern Africa. For more information and for a one-stop-shop of information and resources in Africa, visit the SRHR Knowledge Hub.

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African Leaders Call for Sustainable Malaria Financing as Progress Stalls and Funding Crisis Deepens

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The 2025 Africa Malaria Progress Report reveals 270.8 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths. It warns of potential resurgence, as Heads of State and Government urge increased domestic resource mobilisation, call on partners to honour their commitments, and demand a renewed World Bank Malaria Booster Programme.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, 16 February 2026-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Against a backdrop of stalled progress, declining international funding, and intensifying threats, African Heads of State and Government today issued a unified call for a new era of malaria financing at the 39th African Union Summit in Ethiopia. The African Union Malaria Progress Report 2025, presented by President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko of the Republic of Botswana and Chair of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), warns that without urgent action, the continent risks losing decades of hard-won gains against the disease.

Urgent action required as perfect storm intensifies
The 2025 report reveals that African Union Member States accounted for 270.8 million malaria cases (96% of the global total) and 594,119 deaths (97% of the global total) in 2024. Progress has stalled since 2015, and only five Member States have achieved the 2025 Catalytic Framework targets for reducing malaria incidence or mortality by 75%. These targets are part of the AU Catalytic Framework to End AIDS, TB and Eliminate Malaria in Africa by 2030.

The report warns that a 30% reduction in funding will result in 640 million fewer insecticide-treated nets, 146 million additional malaria cases, 397,000 additional deaths (75% among children under five), and a loss of $37 billion in GDP by 2030. Without urgent action, the report warns that malaria could resurge significantly, with cases potentially exceeding 400 million per year and deaths surpassing one million annually.

“The perfect storm of converging crises threatening malaria elimination has intensified. Official Development Assistance for health in Africa has declined by 70% in just four years, and the Eighth Replenishment of the Global Fund fell significantly short of its $18 billion target. We cannot allow these challenges to reverse decades of progress that have prevented 1.64 billion cases and saved 12.4 million lives since 2000.”
~ President Advocate Duma Gideon Boko, Republic of Botswana, Chair of ALMA

A new era of financing as Africa takes the lead
In response to the funding crisis, African leaders reaffirmed their commitment to domestic resource mobilisation, innovative financing and the development of national health financing sustainability plans. The report highlights that End Malaria Councils and Funds in 12 countries have now mobilised over $200 million through public-private partnerships, demonstrating the power of multisectoral collaboration. Establishing public-private partnerships is essential for delivering sustainable financing. These partnerships can unlock new investments, propelling progress not only toward malaria elimination but also toward universal health coverage. A whole-of-society approach, engaging the private sector, philanthropic foundations, high-net-worth individuals and the diaspora through a public private health accelerator, will reinforce domestic commitments and deliver a win-win partnership.

Countries across the continent are stepping up with increased domestic financing commitments for malaria in 2025. Leaders called on global partners to honour their commitments, renew the World Bank’s Malaria Booster Programme, and align support with national strategies. The original World Bank Malaria Booster Programme (2005-2010) committed over $1 billion with transformative results. Today, African leaders are urging a renewed programme to close funding gaps, deploy next-generation tools, strengthen community health worker programmes, and build climate-resilient health systems. Investing in malaria in this way will also strengthen primary health care, making our health systems more resilient to shock and put us on a path to defeating other health challenges such as neglected tropical diseases.

“Our approach has spanned the full spectrum of what it takes to beat this disease. Tanzania has invested in world-class research and is home to the Ifakara Health Institute, where our scientists are working at the frontier of new technologies, including gene drive–an innovative approach that aims to ensure mosquitoes can no longer transmit the malaria parasite. This is African science, conducted by African researchers, addressing an African challenge.”
~ H.E. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania

New, powerful next-generation tools gaining ground
Despite the challenges, the report highlights significant progress in deploying innovative tools. In 2025, 74% of insecticide-treated nets distributed across Africa were next-generation dual active-ingredient nets, up from just 20% in 2023. These nets are 45% more effective than pyrethroid-only nets against resistant mosquitoes.

Twenty-four countries have now introduced WHO-approved malaria vaccines for children under five, with 28.3 million doses distributed in 2025, up from 10.5 million in 2024. Additionally, WHO prequalified two spatial repellent products in 2025, marking the first new vector control intervention introduced in decades. A record 22 countries planned to implement seasonal malaria chemoprevention in 2025. The malaria innovation pipeline remains stronger than ever.

Promoting health sovereignty through local manufacturing
Leaders emphasised the importance of local manufacturing to ensure affordability, access, and supply chain resilience. Currently, Africa imports 99% of vaccines and 95% of medicines. The report highlights that Nigeria has entered into partnerships for local production of antimalarial treatments and rapid diagnostic tests, and is working to establish the first Africa-manufactured next-generation nets.

The African Medicines Agency, with 31 countries now ratified, and Regional Economic Communities are harmonising regulatory frameworks to accelerate the registration of new commodities across the continent.

“Full deployment of existing and new tools, combined with full funding, could save over 13.2 million lives over the next 15 years and boost African economies by over $140 billion. Every dollar invested in the Global Fund delivers $19 in returns. We have the tools. We need the resources.”
~ Dr. Michael Adekunle Charles, CEO, RBM Partnership to End Malaria

What must be done
The Heads of State and Government issued a clear call to action, urging all Member States to treat malaria as a central pillar of health sovereignty and economic transformation, protect and increase domestic and external funding, and fully implement the priorities of the Catalytic Framework through a Big Push Against Malaria.

Leaders called on international partners to fulfil commitments, align support with national strategies, and invest in the tools and systems that will secure a malaria-free future. They emphasised that the path ahead is challenging. Nevertheless, with determined leadership, the smart use of data, and sustained investment, Africa can bend the curve towards elimination and ensure that future generations grow up free from the threat of malaria.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of African Union

Notes to Editors: The African Union Malaria Progress Report 2025 is available for download at:  www.au.int and  www.alma2030.org

About the Africa Malaria Progress Report:
The Africa Malaria Progress Report is an annual publication prepared by the African Union Commission, African Leaders Malaria Alliance and RBM Partnership to End Malaria. It tracks progress against the AU Catalytic Framework targets, highlights challenges and threats to malaria elimination, and documents Member State actions to accelerate progress. The report is presented annually to Heads of State and Government at the African Union Summit.

About ALMA:
Founded in 2009, the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA) is a ground-breaking coalition of African Heads of State and Government working across country and regional borders to achieve a malaria-free Africa by 2030. www.alma2030.org

Media Inquiries:

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Enhancing partnership for health financial hardship protection

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Geneva, Switzerland, 27 November 2025-/African Media Agency(AMA)/-To strengthen health systems and help protect people from economic strain when seeking care, the World Health Organization (WHO) in the African Region and the African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) are deepening collaboration to improve how countries measure health spending and monitor financial protection.  

By enhancing health data quality, this partnership is helping governments make informed decisions to ensure resources are used where they matter the most, advancing towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

A series of trainings organized by WHO and STATAFRIC are equipping countries with the practical skills to compile and interpret National Health Accounts (NHA) using the System of Health Accounts (SHA 2011) framework. This global standard provides a clear picture of health spending and supports more responsive, people-centred health systems.

To build these skills, a three-day workshop took place in Accra, Ghana, in September 2024. Representatives from 18 Anglophone Member States joined technical experts and international partners to explore how to harmonize health expenditure reporting and improve collaboration between national statistical offices and ministries of health.

Participants discussed global health-spending trends, exchanged country experiences and identified pathways to strengthen institutional coordination, highlighting both shared challenges and opportunities for stronger collaboration to develop harmonized data standards for Africa.

“By speaking a common statistical language, African countries can better understand where and how resources are used and how to channel them to protect their populations,” said Dr José Awong Alene, Head of the Statistical Systems Coordination and Innovation Division at STATAFRIC.

Following the Accra workshop, a second sub-regional training convened in Dakar, Senegal, from 14 to 17 October 2025. Co-organized with the World Bank, the workshop gathered experts from 25 francophone countries to strengthen skills in monitoring financial protection in health, including analysing household survey data to identify when health costs become a barrier to care.

Using STATA, a software that helps analyse large sets of data, the groups reflected on what the numbers reflect about access to care. Real examples and policy discussions underscored how clearer and disaggregated data can help countries understand who is most at risk of financial hardship and use this information to support more equitable health decisions.

“In Africa, millions of families still face financial hardship due to health spending. Reliable, comparable data are essential to guide policies that ensure no one is left behind,” noted Dr Mady Ba, Head of Emergencies at the WHO Office in Senegal.  

In 2026, the collaboration will expand with two additional workshops for francophone and anglophone countries. These sessions aim to help countries translate stronger data into stronger policies, reinforcing the connection between health financing information, policy and action. This initiative aligns with the African Union’s Strategy for the Harmonization of Statistics in Africa (SHaSA 2) and Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want, while supporting progress towards SDG 3.8 on universal health coverage and financial protection.  

“Reliable data are the backbone of effective health systems. Through this collaboration with STATAFRIC, we are empowering countries to produce and use credible evidence that drives smarter investments, strengthens accountability and ultimately improves people’s lives,” emphasized Dr Adelheid Werimo Onyango, Director of the Health Systems and Services Cluster, WHO Regional Office for Africa.

This joint effort equips countries with the tools they need to generate trusted, comparable statistics to inform evidence-based decision-making, increase domestic investment in health and accelerate progress toward Universal Health Coverage. It also reflects the One African Approach to Data, bringing regional and global institutions together to ensure every country has the capacity to measure what truly counts: people’s health and well-being.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of World Health Organisation

About STATAFRIC 
The African Union Institute for Statistics (STATAFRIC) leads the coordination and harmonization of statistical systems across the continent. It works closely with regional and international organizations to ensure Africa-wide comparability and quality of data for monitoring the Agenda 2063 and the SDGs. 

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Health

Malawi Govt must keep promise to universal health coverage

Lloyd M’bwana
Malawi’s Universal Health Coverage Coalition (UHCC) Chairperson George Jobe

LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s consortium on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is on the knees of Malawi government to seriously meet the needs for quality health services in public hospitals.

Government is therefore labored to increase equitable access to and improve quality of health care services.

 This also includes implementation of health insurance scheme that will see those in formal sector paying to subsidies health services further.

The call comes in the sidelines of global commemoration of UHC that falls on December 12 yearly.

Universal Health Coverage Coalition (UHCC) Chairperson George Jobe told the new conference on Thursday in the capital Lilongwe that in view of this year’s theme, the consortium expects action plans to guarantee health as a right not a privilege.

Jobe says government including every player must do their part to ensure that Malawi has strong equitable health systems where no one is left behind.

“Essential health services must be accessible by all people without financial hardship. We recognize that UHC cuts across all the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and brings hope of better health and protection or the world’s poorest.

“All leaders must keep the promise which has been made over the years to ensure that Malawi achieves universal health coverage”, urges Jobe.

Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Dan Namalika assured the nation of government commitment towards meeting UHC promises through implementation of Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSP II 2017-2022).

“The strategy has provided the road map for multi-sectoral approach to health improvement where the civil society, communities has been recognized as key stakeholders responsible for advocating and sustaining the political will for government and development partners’ action in implementation monitoring and accountability for UHC”, assures Dr. Namalika.

Universal Health Coverage ensures that all people have access to needed health services; prevention, promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and population of sufficient quality to be effective.

The initiative also ensures that use of health services do not expose the user to the financial hardships.

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Malawi’s universal health coverage predicament; Stillbirths lock rural areas as pregnant women struggle for maternity services

Maravi Post Reporter

mothers struggling to access health services

 

By Chikondi Manjawira

 

This is the story on how  Mapata, Soliyati Group Headman, Traditional Authority (T.A) Mpando in the lakeshore district of Mangoch pregnant women cover long distance to access maternity services. This contravenes Universal Health Coverage which being champion in developing nations, Malawi include.

Our reporter Chikondi Manjawira takes the readers through how painful pregnant women are enduring in rural areas  to access health facilities.

A 35 year old Alice Sani, married with six children still suffers the hurdle of having no health facility close to her home.

Sani had her 7th pregnancy when she met her misfortune on the night of 22nd August this year.

Labour signs started. She was with the help of fellow villagers put on Stretcher (now malfunction) to take her to Koche Community Hospital which is about 27 Kilometers away from her village Mapata, Traditional Authority (T.A) Mpando in Mangochi to deliver her preciously expected 7th baby.

 

In mid of the way, a car which the villagers had earlier asked for from the owner of the CPL, company which produces cement just a few Kilometers away from Mapata village arrived.

 

Sani had already lost her baby by then due to unsteady condition she was in contributed by the long distance bumpy dusty road to reach Koche Comunity Hospital.

 

The only hospital women from Mapata and Soliyati access maternity services. Group Village Head Mapata has witnessed over 15 stillbirths this year alone.

 

This is happening at a time when there is a ban of traditional maternity services (Uzamba).

 

“I was pregnant as usual and when the date was due, I was in pain and helpless to the extent that I became unconscious on the way to the hospital. When we reached the hospital, I was told my unborn baby was dead and operation was necessary to remove the still born out of my womb.  This was the time thought maternity services were a must at Mapata Health Post so that my fellow women would not face what I experienced.

 

“The problem is the Stretcher is old and malfunctions. Whenever we have such cases like women in labour pain or patients in serious condition, we borrow bicycle tyres to fix the on the stretcher so that we carry our female /patients to the hospital.

 

It is time consuming and to cover the distance from here to Koche hospital on a Stretcher. Most of the times people die along the way and our women deliver before we reach the hospital while others lose their unborn babies that way,” explained, GVH Mapata.

 

Group Village Soliyati shares the problems his people face as a result of having no hospital nearby and not owning an ambulance to ferry patients in serious condition to Koche Community hospital.

 

However, we have Mapata health Post which has one Health Surveillance Assistant and does not meet all people’s health needs since it is not a full health facility.

At Mapata health post one can access a number of services such as under-Five clinic, Family planning Immunization, First basic health care and ante-natal clinic.

 

GVH Soliyati further said that Malaria is the commonly found disease in the area and that there is a need for a full operational health facility considering that Malaria attacks both young and the old who deserves their right to access good health services.

 

“My people do come here at Mapata Health Post with hope to access any health care treatment they would want. Most of them feel ignored or neglected when they are not being properly assisted because they simply do not understand this is not a full hospital where our HSA can deal with some of our health problems.

 

“We would want to ask government to think of us, provide us with an ambulance, a community hospital and enough medical personnel. Right now we have one HSA who alone cannot manage to go around two village heads and properly check on people or make follow ups on everyone,” he added.

 

Located about 27 Kilometres away from Koche Community hospital, Mapata health Post covers two Group Village Heads of Mapata and Soliyati T.AMponda in Mangochi district.

 

Stevie Mwale is the only HSA at Mapata health Post serving about 3004 people in the 12 villages of GVH Mapata and Soliyati in the T.A Mponda in Mangochi district.

 

This is against the World Health Organization recommended doctor/patient ratio of 1: 1000 hence the need to recruit more human resource for health.

 

Mwale commutes from Maldeco and covers 27 kilometres to and back from his health post daily, contributing to poor service delivery.

 

A situation that makes Mapata Health Post operate two days in a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) in order to meet the HSA for medical guidance.

 

Therefore, anyone who falls sick in any other day, has to wait for the said scheduled days to be checked or treated by the HSA.