There are high hopes of having improved provision of basic health services in communities of Likoma and Chizumulu Islands through community involvement which is essential for the Islanders’ better health and livelihoods.
This follows a daylong interface meeting conducted at Likoma community hall on Friday September 28, 2018, championed by representatives from the Ministry of Health with officials from the District Council (DC), representatives from the Traditional Authority (T/A) and the religious society.
According to the Deputy Director for Preventive Health Services (DDPHS) responsible for Community Health (CH) in the Ministry of Health Doreen Namagetsi Ali, the assembly was called upon to disseminate information concerning the National Community Health Strategy (NCHS) as well as Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSPII).
She said that they visited Likoma and Chizumulu Islands to complete the decentralization and dissemination of information concerning the two strategic plans expected to operate for five years (2017-2022) across the country.
The strategic plans were launched in the capital city of Lilongwe in July last year.
“Implementation of the strategic plans started right away after the national launch we had last year, this has been done with a core motive of improving the livelihoods of people in the country by revamping health services in all the communities we have,”Alisaid.
Theplan seeks to achieve the essential deliverance of Health package at community level through integrated services provided by Community Health Workers as well as to build sufficient, equitably distributed, well-trained community health workforce.
This will enhance the integration of health services for the next generation by blending all the services and then delivering them to people at once to promote efficiency.
Taking his part, the Acting Director of Health and Social Services for Likoma Davis Sibale, expressed his sincere gratitude and hailed the Ministry of Health for the long overdue initiative saying the prospect is a timely development to revamp the health sector in the district.
Sibale said that this will massively assist in making sure that different health sector oriented stakeholders understand the contents embedded in the strategies to implement the work plan which has been developed for the initiative.
“People of Likoma are going to benefit because there have been some flows in the way we have been conducting our activities but now it is more clear by involving the community structures more now that they are also aware of their roles in implementing the initiative,” he explained.
The National Community Health Strategy (NCHS) is expected to achieve 25 percent reduction in under five mortality, 20 percent reduction in maternal mortality as well as boost revenue collection.
