Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda has decried the country’s health financing levels, saying Malawi is failing to meet the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) requirement of $86 (about K89 000) per capita per annum.

She said this in Lilongwe yesterday during a meeting where government engaged private sector stakeholders on how best the country’s health sector financing can be improved.

Chiponda: We are spending $40 per capita

Currently, Malawi Government allocates nine percent of its annual budget to the health sector against a 15 percent requirement set in the Abuja Declaration which Malawi is party to.

The minister said this is making effective health service delivery to all citizens hard, as there are always gaps that need to be filled.

“Currently, we are spending $40 [about K41 000] per capita per annum instead of the WHO recommended $86 per capita per annum requirement. And individual households are spending $4 [about K4 000] per capita per annum,” said Chiponda.

Maziko Matemba, an advocate and trainer for Health Financing in Africa, said if Malawi’s health sector financing improves, it would lead to improved health service delivery.

He said: “As civil society, we need to ensure that commitments made by our government are met. At global level, the private sector is encouraged to participate in the health sector financing; hence, this engagement to improve on the same.

“If the financing improves, in the end, we know that communities shall benefit.”

Horizon Health Limited chief executive officer Elsie Munthali, who doubles as Association of the Healthcare Funders president, said in an interview the private sector is looking forward to reaching a consensus on how best it can help improve the health sector financing.

She said the private sector is already helping in the area, but conceded there was still room for improvement.

In her remarks, African Union Development Agency officer-in-charge for health programmes Chimwemwe Chamdimba said the agency financed the engagement to help government address the challenge of health sector financing in the country.

She said there were gaps that were exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cholera outbreak which compels the need for the continent to source its own funding and not rely entirely on foreign help for such critical sector funding.

“We developed a framework for private sector engagement on health sector financing. We are also looking at those that will drive the areas of investment in health such pharmaceutical productions,” said Chamdimba.

The two-day meeting is expected to make agreements and commitments on health financing.

The post Minister decries health sector financing model first appeared on The Nation Online.