The Minister of Health and Sanitation Honorable Madalitso Baloyi,MP has officially opened the 2024/2025 Integrated Joint Annual Review (JAR) of the health sector and the National Response to HIV and AIDS with a call for all the public health facilities to consider opening separate paying services to increase resource mobilization and improve health service delivery.
The 2024/2025 JAR has been organized by the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with the National AIDS Commission. It is themed: Accelerating Universal Health Coverage and Resilient Health Systems through collaboration and Resource optimization.
The Minister has acknowledged that Malawi’s health sector continues to face numerous financial challenges which have also escalated by the dwindling of donor partners. The minister is of the view that introducing separate wards with paying services in public facilities will help generate some revenue to improve service delivery and allow poor people to access quality health care.
“It is high time we introduced paying services in our public health facilities to generate some revenue; we can do a lot with the money generated like renovating infrastructure and be able to finance other critical health services locally”, said the minister.
Speaking earlier, Chairperson for the Parliamentary Committee on Health, Honorable Anthny Masamba also cautioned that the health sector will continue facing challenges if the country continues offering free health care services to those who can be able to pay but only to people who can not afford.
“Let’s rethink and take deliberate action to increase domestic funding towards the health sector, donor support is dwindling and if we continue offering free health care services to all, we will not be able to improve service delivery” stated the parliamentary committee on Health chairperson.
Speaking in a separate interview, National AIDS Commission Chief Executive Officer Dr. Beatrice Matanje concurred with the minister and the parliamentary Committee on Health Chairperson that introducing separate paying services in public health services is a sure way to increase domestic funding towards the health sector.
Commenting on the integrated Health Secor Joint Annual Review, Dr. Matanje said the meeting is critical to deliberate on critical issues affecting the health sector and National Response to HIV and AIDS at large of which, domestic funding is one of those.
The main objective of the Integrated JAR is to ensure a holistic comprehension of the health sector challenges and their solutions and effective coordination of essential health service delivery.
Participants include Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Local Authorities, Local, International Development and Implementing Partners, Academicians, Civil Society Organizations, Training Institutions and other Ministry of Health Affiliates.
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