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Options to host Knowledge Café on governance and accountability for health in Malawi

This week, we will be hosting a ‘knowledge café’ in Malawi on ‘Governance and accountability for health’,

28 April 2016

On Friday 29 April, we will be hosting a ‘knowledge café’ in Lilongwe, Malawi on ‘Governance and Accountability for Health’.

The ‘knowledge café’ will provide an ideal opportunity for discussing practical approaches to strengthening the performance of the health sector in Malawi. We will also show case how we are promoting accountability in our three programmes in the country, working with district councils and central government.

The knowledge café will bring together key government figures, including the guest of honour, the Minister of Health, Dr. Pater Kumpalume, health planners and professionals, representatives from NGOs, the media and the donor community to explore how accountability in the health sector can be strengthened to ensure that all Malawians can have access to good quality health care.

Since 2011, we have been working closely with the Malawi government and NGO partners on a range of health sector programmes.

Our Results-Based Financing for Maternal and Newborn Health programme supports 33 hospitals and health centres in four districts to provide quality maternal health care by distributing cash incentives to pregnant women to give birth in the facilities, and bonus payments for the facilities based on their performance.

The programme has so far seen more than 61,000 women having safe deliveries in these facilities.

Our Malawi Health Sector Programme (MHSP-TA) provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to help deliver its health sector reform agenda. The programme also works closely with the Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) and the National Local Government Finance Committee to strengthening  the capacity in health systems management.

Since the programme started in 2013 there has been a marked improvement in health sector financial management performance at district level. The programme is now working closely with District Council Health & Environment Committees to make health services more responsive to patient needs.

We have also led the MamaYe! campaign since 2011, working in partnership with Malawi NGO, the Parent and Child Health Initiative (PACHI). MamaYe! is a campaign to raise awareness and political commitment for maternal and newborn survival and to encourage government to improve its maternal health care services.

The campaign is implementing the Health Budget Advocacy (HBA) transparency scorecard in Rumphi, Nkhata Bay and Mzimba districts to ensure health sector budget preparation is widely consultative and budget information is available and communicated to the public.

Mathias Chatuluka, Team Leader for our MamaYe! Campaign in Malawi says: “”Malawi has made enormous progress for our children, but still 14,000 newborns are dying from preventable causes each year. This is why MamaYe Malawi uses accountability tools, such as district budget transparency scorecards and QuiC, to improve maternal and newborn survival.”

The Lilongwe Knowledge Café builds on previous successful  events in London and Nepal. It promises to be an innovative and stimulating morning that will help people think, discuss and come up with more actions that will help ensure that people in Malawi get access to the quality health services that they deserve.

Countries
Malawi
Funders
UK aid
Capabilities
Governance and Accountability

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