By Chisomo Phiri
Civil Society Advocacy Forum (CSAF) has urged the government to prioritize domestic funding for the health sector, citing concerns over the country’s heavy reliance on donor support.
Speaking at an interface meeting with the Ministry of Health and Treasury in Dowa on Friday,CSAF Vice Chairperson,Simon Sikwese said the dependence on donors not only undermines the country’s autonomy in healthcare decision-making but also leads to the implementation of donor-driven priorities rather than Malawi’s specific needs.
He emphasized the need for Malawi to take charge of its healthcare financing.
“We must forget about relying on donors and lead in deciding the health of our people,” he said.
Sikwese also highlighted the impact of the termination of US aid and the need to generate resources to fill the resulting gaps.
He pointed out that Malawi has various opportunities to finance the health sector, including enhancing paying services in public hospitals, promoting health insurance, and partnering with the private sector.
He also mentioned the potential of sin taxes as a revenue source.
On his part,Vitumbiko Gwamba Zgambo from the Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) echoed Sikwese’s sentiments, suggesting that the government promote mining to support health services and introduce special levies, such as tollgate fees, to fund the health sector.
Zgambo also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in promoting domestic health financing, calling for civil society representation in the Health Financing Reforms Committee(HFRC).
