Government launches Health Situation Room


The Malawi government has launched a technology initiative, The Health Situation Room which centralises data for HIV, community health, malaria, and sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health to ensure more effective and precise programming to reach more people with services. 

The Health Situation Room aims at speeding up and streamlining communications between policy-makers and implementers to help Malawi stay on track to reach its national HIV and health targets, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals on ending AIDS by 2030.

The new innovation in the health sector supports the Malawi e-health strategy, allowing to monitor where the health systems are functioning at their best, and where Malawi can step up the efforts to improve the health system, including progress towards achieving the Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan II (HSSP II) targets.

It also supports data revolution becoming a reality in Malawi’s AIDS response and health systems. Malawi is the fourth country in Africa to successfully launch this initiative.

President Peter Mutharika, speaking at the launch of the innovation said good health is a precondition for development because only a healthy people can develop a country. Only a healthy people can fight poverty.

“That is why our goal is to make Malawi a healthy nation.”

Mutharika said The Health Situation Room that is one innovation for improving the healthcare delivery system. This will improve decision making in healthcare delivery.

“We are embracing innovative technology in healthcare as Malawi moves into the digital generation.”

The president said Malawi is on the path of leading global trends. We are determined to “ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages” and at all cost.

He said his DPP led Government believes that health is not a privilege but a right. “This is the belief that drives our healthcare program. This is the spirit that drives our political manifesto. In the next five years, we pledge to achieve universal healthcare for all Malawians.”

He promised that his government will fight to achieve better healthcare that is closer to the people in every part of the country. “We plan to construct more clinics, more health centres and more hospitals. We plan to train and recruit more health workers. And we plan to equip our healthcare facilities from better to best more than ever before.”

He reiterated his government’s commitment to continue supporting and promoting health providers who serve where there are no government facilities. This is one more method for achieving universal healthcare. We have tried and trusted our methods before.

“In five more years, at the speed we are going, expect more millions and millions of people accessing good healthcare in every community, every village, every town, every city, everywhere. We will leave no one behind. We need every Malawian to be a healthy citizen. And together, we are taking Malawi forward. Together, we are taking Malawi from poverty to prosperity.”

Mutharika said in the last five years, the number of people with HIV has continued to decline very significantly. Maternal deaths have drastically decreased. And our life expectancy has risen from 37 years to 63 years in the recent past.

APM said this progress has been possible because his government is using public resources to invest in improving the quality of life.