Under The Theme;

Enhancing Media Engagement for Sustainable Health Financing for Universal Health Coverage in Malawi

19th August, 2020, The Venue at Face Forward, Lilongwe, Salima Road

Journalists Association Against AIDS (JournAIDS) and Facilitators for Community Transformation (FACT) are jointly implementing a project called sustainable health financing for universal health coverage. The project is being implemented in the context of the proposed health financing reforms as outlined in the 2017-2022 Health Sector Strategic Plan. The project has been designed to build multi-stakeholder engagement to enhance citizen engagement and dialogue on health financing policies and reforms. For instance, the proposed creation of the National Health Fund and the National Health Insurance Scheme which are all vital towards moving to UHC.

At present, Malawi’s sustainable health financing reforms are taking shape slowly, while many CSOs are not effectively participating due to lack of capacity, while there is a general lack of awareness on health financing reforms such those being carried out by Government. For instance, turning all central hospitals into autonomous bodies (trusts), creation of a national health fund and the NHIS. The project is very critical taking into account that Malawi’s health sector faces a lot of challenges due to wastage of financial resources due to corruption, inefficiency.  The particular project is very unique as it seeks to bring the UHC/health financing reforms closer to the general public and the civil society.

As part of the project’s interventions to enhance media engagement and raise awareness on the health financing reforms and the work on championing Universal Health Coverage in line with the 2017-2022 Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP II). The two organizations, FACT and JournAIDS conducted a media training workshop engage and drill local journalists on reporting UHC and issues around health financing reforms.

Malawi’s journalists are greatly challenged to scale up media coverage on health-related issues based on the fact, most media houses lack financial resources to help build better in depth and high-quality stories that can help shape policies related to sustainable health financing and universal health coverage and the current health financing reforms. The media are an integral part of the project and will greatly help to bridge the policy research and awareness gap on UHC issues in Malawi.

  • Achieved Outputs and Deliverables
  • At least a total of 15 journalists engaged and trained in the UHC processes and sustainable health financing issues in Malawi, both radio and print media represented in the workshop and made a commitment to help increase media coverage
  • A follow up media monitoring visit to generate a media monitoring report based on the workshop’s output agreed and JournAIDS to lead the process