To improve health outcomes and strengthen health systems, Malawi needs to adopt the One Health approach, a concept that recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, according to the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST).
Director of Research and Outreach at MUST, Professor Alfred Maluwa said this on Tuesday in Blantyre during an International One Health Conference and Postgraduate Symposium organised by MUST and its partners.
“In Malawi, health challenges are often compounded by a combination of infectious diseases, environmental issues, and limited human and financial resources.
“The One Health approach can significantly enhance the understanding of zoonotic diseases and other health issues that affect both humans and animals. Prevalence of HIV and AIDS plus diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, and avian influenza present opportunities to integrate multidisciplinary knowledge into health education systems,” said Prof. Maluwa.
He observed that one of the primary challenges in Malawi is the fragmentation of human, animal, and environmental health sectors.
“Ministry of Health, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Natural Resources and other government departments often work in isolation which makes integrated approaches more difficult to implement.
“Bridging these gaps requires policy reforms, interdepartmental cooperation, and coordination mechanisms that may be slow to materialize due to bureaucratic challenges or competing priorities,” he said.
Acting Deputy Director at Malawi Liverpool Welcome Programme, Prof, Janelisa Musaya emphasised on the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to make progress.
“Health issues affect a number of areas, an example being of new parasite that we are seeing emerging when parasites that affect animals marry with the parasites that affects humans to come up with hybrids.
“So, we dont have to work by only looking at whats happening to humans. We need to look at what is happening to the environment, the water and the animals so we control it from all angles,” said Prof. Musaya.
MUST is offering Masters and PhD training in One Health where 20 M.Sc. and four PhD students are being supported by full scholarship
