9.1: Health
The long-term goal is to improve health of the population at all levels in a sustainable manner. Other Information:
A healthy population is not only essential but also a pre-requisite for economic growth and development. There is a very close
and strong correlation between health status and level of development. That is, countries with good health are highly developed,
whereas those with poor health are underdeveloped. Malawi'shealthsituationbasedonthehealthindicatorssuchasmaternalmortality
rate, child mortality rate, child and maternal malnutrition, life expectancy, access to health facilities is very unsatisfactory.
While some achievements have been made after implementing a number of policies, some of the health indicators are the worst
in the world. For instance, for every 100,000 live births, 1,120 mothers die due to limited access to quality reproductive
and health services, infant mortality and child mortality are estimated at 76 and 133, respectively per 1000 live births due
to limited access to health services and malnutrition. Though Government is making efforts to bring about improved health,
it faces a number of challenges. These include inadequate health personnel, prevalence of diseases such as HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis,
malaria and acute respiratory infections, and migration of health personnel to other countries. Recent assessments have shown
that there are more than 100,000 people per qualified physician. There is inadequate supply of essential drugs due to budgetary
constraints, which is compounded by pilferage. In general, the health infrastructures or facilities are very poor. HIV and
AIDS is a big challenge in attaining a healthy nation and this seriously affects development efforts in all sectors. The high
prevalence of HIV and AIDS has seriously affected the health services delivery systems, subsequently the health status ofthecountry'spopulation.DetailedsituationanalysisonHIV
andAIDSand measures currently in place to contain the scourge and challenges being faced are presented in the subsequent section
on HIV and AIDS... Medium-term Expected Outcome: The expected medium term outcomes are, among others, improved provision of
essential health care services; reduced infant mortality rate from 76 to 60 per 1,000 live births; reduced child mortality
rate from 133 to 90 per 1,000 live births; and reduced maternal mortality rate by 50 percent from the current level of 984
deaths per 100,000 live births. Key Strategies: Successful achievement of the intended goals and expected outcomes will, to
a greater extent, rely on what happens in other sectors like production of food in agriculture, disease treatment and prevention
in the health sector, relevant curriculum in the education sector and reduction of gender inequality. The targeted programs
under the health sector support program will be complemented by educational efforts to improve nutrition, food production,
and general improvements in infrastructure in rural areas. The Government will work with partners in the donor community,
NGOs, and at the village level to leverage the resources devoted to the improvement in health related goals. Improving health
requires a multifaceted or integrated approach with a combination of preventive, educational and clinical measures. By bringing
these together, the costs of interventions can be minimized and their effectiveness maximized. The MGDS seeks such integration.
Main strategies include the following:
Indicator(s):
|
