By Petro Mkandawire
Blantyre, September 10, MANA: Blantyre District Environmental Health Officer (DEHO), Innocent Mvula has expressed gratitude over Healthy Strengthening Immunisation System Project saying the use of Mother Care groups has improved vaccine coverage among Children in the district.
Speaking with Malawi News Agency on Tuesday Mvula said status of vaccine coverage in under five children has greatly improved with almost 89% in the district as compared before the project were they registered 79% before the come in of Mother care group.
“Mother care groups are able to mobilize resources to boost immunization coverages here in Blantyne as such we are working with them as our link when working with the communities and before the groups we had a lot of challenges like follow-up of zero-dose children and lack of community advocacy on vaccine Immunisation but now communities are largely participating in immunization,” said Mvula.
He therefore encouraged communities to own vaccine service delivery in order to achieve healthy bottom-up approach and he call upon other stalkeholders to invest in Mother Care groups citing that it’s a key to Vaccine coverage.
Healthy Strengthening Immunisation System Project is being implemented in Blantyre, Lilongwe, Ntchinji, Dowa, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Nzimba south, Nzimba north and Chitipa whereby the project by MHEN through Ministry of healthy with funds from GAVA amounting to 3 Million US dollars whereby it runs from 2018 upto 2024 and in Blantyre the project has 33 mother care group.
Maria Ligawo verse chair for Mpendekera mother care group from traditional Authority Lundu in Blantyre said they provide vaccine to over 40 children each and every month and through the group they have managed to construct under five clinic which helps them in Immunisation process.
“Before immunisation services reached our area, most of children used to get sick very often and most women used to spent there days in hospital, but now through our group we are able to advocate to the families the importance of under five vaccine and I can say the turn up is good, said Ligawo.
She then highlighted that lack of transportation to advocate in long distance villages, lack of T-Shirt for identification, lack of immununisation box are some of the challenges that need to be addressed.
Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) is an independent alliance of organisations and individuals which seeks to improve the distribution, quality and access to health services throughout the country by promoting equity and quality in health for all people in Malawi.
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