The Civil society Advocacy Forum (CSAF) has called for government’s need to engage more private companies to enhance revenue collection.
During the launch of the Domestic Health Financing Advocacy Plan at Capital Hotel, The Network of Journalists Living with HIV Executive Director and former CSAF Chair, David Kamkwamba emphasized that health issues should be prioritized and sustained hence the need for adequate funding.
Kamkwamba said Malawi needs to sustain the AIDS response and the need to generate resources domestically is high. “So we believe health is a priority for Malawi citizens, not only as a right, it’s also an economic issue, because if you have healthy people, then they can be able to be productive and contribute to the social economic development. So we are saying, as a national system, let’s sit together and see how we can locally get more resources to prioritize issues of health.” Kamkwamba said.
Malawi’s health sector is heavily dependent on foreign resources. In achieving the universal health coverage targets by 2030, the government allocated 328 billion kwacha to the health sector in the 2023-2024 financial year. This represents a nominal increase of 35% compared to the 2022-2023 allocation of 243 billion kwacha. The increase is largely driven by additional resources from donors for development projects, among others. Again; Malawi falls short of the minimum 15% for health Abuja declaration; only having achieved 12% in the 2024/25 budget.
It is for this reason CSAF launched the Domestic Health Financing Advocacy Plan with an aim of contributing to domestic resource mobilization efforts towards the health budget, having noted that the more of the resources in health are still from donors and government’s contribution to the health budget is still not sustainable.
Director for the HIV, sexually transmitted infections and viral hepatitis program in the Ministry of Health, Rose Nyirenda commended the initiative and further urged civil society to put more efforts in the implementation of the plan.
“The Advocacy Plan will help the Ministry to put efforts in domestic funding, however, the civil society can always contribute more. Apart from asking government, we can work together in implementing the plan. So it is not just about government, It’s also about Civil society taking a role in supporting government in some of these challenges.” Nyirenda explained.
The guest of honour at the launch Dr. Gerald Manthalu who is the Director of Policy and Planning under which implementation of the Health Financing Strategy falls added that Ministry of Health needs to re examine the budgets and how we allocate the funds which can help in proper use of the available funds.
External resources for HIV in 2015 were about $260 million from PEPFAR. The Global Fund procured nearly 100% of antiretrovirals in financial year of 2014-2015 and 73% of laboratory reagents.
The 2023-2030 National Healthy Financing Strategy outlines the pathways for financing universal health coverage activities with emphasis on aligning all healthcare resources towards Health Sector Strategic Plan 3 objectives and mutual accountability among stakeholders.
The strategy includes initiatives to mobilize resources, pull funds from UHC goals, enhance purchasing efficiency, and strengthen stewardship and data for health financing decisions.
