By Dean Chisambo
Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola Banda has launched 2024 National Statistic Office(NSO) Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) key indicators report which indicates that Malawi is making strides on universal access to health care.
Speaking during the launch on Thursday in Lilongwe Chithyola highlighted that significant of the report will help his ministry to provide occurrence interms of data and planning economically.
He said :” we need to know exactly statistics data to help us to come up with good plans and policies.”
Chithyola emphasised that the report is very essential as far as planning for economic development is concerned.
He mentioned that it is only health population that stimulate population growth because they will be engaged into productivity whether in agriculture productivity or any productivity of the value chain which contribute economic development.
He added that the report gives clear indication that country still have knowledge gap interms of utilising nutrition literacy for the households, overfeeding their children and that is resulting into obesity and overweight.
On his remarks NSO Shelton Kanyanda said the report indicates quite positive results in most indicators.
He said they have seen total fertility rate declining since they start DHS in 2000 from 6.7 to 3.7 meaning the woman in 2000 was about to have 6.7 children in her life time but now it’s only 3.7 children.
Kanyanda also mentioned that in 2015 – 2016 DHS fertility rate declined from 4.4 children to 3.7 children.
He also outlined that women who are in child bearing age, who are attending antinatal, those who are giving birth 96% are being assisted by a qualified medical personel than in 2000 which it was 55% meaning half were been attended by qualified medical personel.
Kanyanda said the issue of stunted growth by the children has improved.
He stated that in the year 2000 when they started the DHS about 55% of children were stunted but now have gone down to about 28%.
Kanyanda also outlined the issue of mortality rate, saying out of 1000 kids being born 234 were not reaching the age of five.
He said :” So overall I would say the results are quite positive, I think the health indicators, the nutrition indicators are taking right direction in the country.
Kanyanda added the positive results has come due to number of intervention on health sector such as ministry of health has put in place records, tracking the people who are sick, attending antinatal by pregnant women, the presence of medical personel and provide food to kids to avoid stuntedness.
