Minister of Health, Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda, has expressed concern over the country’s response and preparedness capacities saying it still faces challenges despite strides made in building leadership and coordination of public health activities.
She was speaking at Capital Hill in Lilongwe on Wednesday during the launch of the Malawi Health Emergency Preparedness Response and Resilience (HEPRR).
She described the program as a timely intervention designed to enhance health system resilience and multi-preparedness sectoral approach.
“This project will address existing gaps through essential interventions that bolster our technical capacities, financial mechanisms and workforce capabilities,” she said.
She said gender gaps have also contributed to disparities that weaken emergency responses making women have less access to services and a higher disease burden than men.
“We, therefore, need to improve healthcare quality during emergencies, ensure basic services, close gender gaps and enhance health infrastructure.
The five-year program which runs up to 2030 is funded by the World Bank to the tune of US$60 million.
World Bank Regional Practice Director, Daniel Dulitzky, emphasised on the need to invest in crisis and pandemic response.
“We are happy to collaborate with the government of Malawi in improving the health sector as we gear to respond to pandemics and crises,” he said.
The project, whose objective is to strengthen health system resilience and multisectoral preparedness and response to health emergencies in Malawi, aims to increase regional, national and sub-national capacity and resilience to proactively prevent, detect and mitigate health emergencies.
