Quality Management Policy for the Health Sector

Malawi’s constitution affirms the intention of the Government to provide quality health services responsive to the needs of Malawians and in line with global best practices. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) period (2000-2015), Malawi made significant progress in improving health out...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Malawi Government: Ministry of Health
Format: Other
Language:English
Published: Malawi Government 2021
Online Access:http://nkhokwe.kuhes.ac.mw:8080/handle/20.500.12845/211
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Summary:Malawi’s constitution affirms the intention of the Government to provide quality health services responsive to the needs of Malawians and in line with global best practices. During the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) period (2000-2015), Malawi made significant progress in improving health outcomes by expanding coverage to essential health services. However, inconsistent quality of care (QoC) remains a major challenge. As a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Government of Malawi recognizes that extra effort and resources need to be invested in fast-tracking improvements in QoC. These efforts will help accelerate progress towards achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. The first national efforts to improve QoC and establish quality assurance systems originate from the nineties, leading to the development of a National Quality Assurance plan in 1998 and a National Quality Assurance Policy in 2005. Despite these efforts and other quality improvement initiatives, there is still fragmentation at policy and implementation levels across the health sector. The Quality Management Policy for the Health Sector in Malawi (QM Policy) aims to enforce a holistic, systematic, and coordinated approach to improve quality of care across the health sector. The policy is in line with the Malawi Health Sector Strategic Plan (2017–2022) and the Government-wide Public Sector Reforms launched in 2015. This policy has been developed in the most participatory way possible, building from the views of implementers and all partners working in quality management. As the QM Policy reflects the aspiration of Malawians, its implementation will be based on the principle of, “One Policy, One Strategy, and One Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.” Therefore, all quality management initiatives must fully align to this policy. The Ministry of Health wishes to assure Malawians and all stakeholders that Government has the political will to implement this QM Policy. It is our hope that this policy will lead to a more unified and coordinated effort in the delivery of high quality health services for the people of Malawi.