By Tione Andsen, Mana
Lilongwe, December 4, Mana: Minister of Health, Atupele
Muluzi has said the country has made tremendous strides and registered notable
successes in most Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services according to the
last three Demographic and Health Surveys.
The Minister said this Monday
in Lilongwe when he launched the second series
of Child Health Days for 2017 which runs from December 4 to 8, 2017 throughout
the country.
He said Maternal neonatal and
Child Health services include immunizations, antenatal and post-natal care,
family planning, vitamin A supplements and therapeutic supplementary feeding.
Muluzi said currently, 91 per
cent of births occur in health facilities and 90 per cent of all these
deliveries are attended by skilled health professionals.
“Recent Demographic and Health
surveys show that our infant mortality rate is down to 42 per 1,000 live births
and under-five mortality is down to 64 per 1,000 live births.
“Stunting has reduced from 47
per cent in 2010 to 37 per cent in 2016, anaemia among the
under-fives has reduced from 55 per cent in 2009 to 28 per cent in 2017,” said Muluzi.
The minister further said there
is an increase in the number of children admitted to our therapeutic programme
from 34,500 in 2015 to 53,000 in 2016 following a more efficient referral
system.
Muluzi pointed out that the
referral system has seen better community level engagement and Mass Screening.
“This
success has translated into a remarkable improvement in morbidity and mortality
patterns, especially from preventable diseases and conditions,” he added.
Muluzi noted that despite
successes in uptake of vitamin A supplements, there is need to reach almost
half of the under-fives in the country’s population, particularly those who are
living in hard-to-reach locations or from certain ethnicities.
He explained that the biannual campaigns
that his Ministry does in collaboration with partners which include UNICEF, promote child
health and development, focusing on hard to reach groups with maternal and
child health services.
Muluzi pointed out the initiative has significantly contributed
towards the reduction of child illness and death over the years.
He thanked development
partners UNICEF, USAID, WHO and World Vision as well as District partners for
their support to this project together with the programme managers, DHOs,
traditional authorities for their hard work in managing implementation.
United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) Representative to Malawi, Johannes Wedenig, said his organisation appreciates
the leadership of the Ministry of Health in addressing nutrition challenges
affecting the children of Malawi.
He pointed out that micronutrient
deficiency disorders are responsible for the impairment of hundreds of millions
of growing minds and lowering of the national intelligence quotient (IQ).
“Micronutrient deficiency disorders
are responsible for the wholesale damage to immune systems and the deaths of
more than a million children a year worldwide. Vitamin A deficiency is one the micronutrient
deficiencies of the most public health importance,” Wedenig pointed out.
Muluzi administered a vitamin
A supplement to 3 year old boy, Themba Fusani during the launch.
