Baseline Survey on Service Delivery of Sexual and Reproductive Health

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Access to RH services has been declining in the rural areas as there is a particularly significant mal-distribution of health personnel, which favours urban areas, and secondary and tertiary levels of care. Half of Malawi’s doctors work in its four central hospitals together with 25 percent of the nurses. An estimated 97 percent of government-employed clinical officers and 82 percent established posts are not filled, especially in the rural areas.

Government acknowledges there are many challenges for it to meet its goals, objectives and the MDGs in the health sector. After assessing the extent of improvement or decline, CIPE intends to lobby government and its development partners to deal with the existing challenges and risks arising from the shortage of drugs and drug stock outs in these facilities, among others.

PROJECT GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The key Goals and Objectives of the survey are to assess and establish the following:

• Human Rights-Based Approach and Equity in health service delivery systems;
• Efficiency—assess stakeholders’ use of available healthcare resources efficiently to maximize health gains;
• Community Participation—whether communities are participating in the planning, management and delivery of health services;
• Decentralization—whether health service management and provision allow for devolution in line with the Local Government Act of 1998.
• Improvement or decline in SRH delivery systems in rural health facilities;
• Blow the whistle on challenges still affecting the health sector for redress by authorities;
• Enhanced advocacy activities for SRHR services;
• Strengthened local level demonstration of the accessibility and usage of health facilities;
• Increased capacity of local communities to identify challenges and report to relevant authorities for redress.
• Increased public awareness of their right to SRHR services and ability to demand this right; and
• Enhanced collaboration between healthcare providers and community members on critical health-related issues.

PROJECT STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES

The following activities have been lined up by implementing organization for the realization of the strategic objectives this project:

• DATA COLLECTION
  • The Organization will conduct interviews with relevant authorities including, but not limited to health personnel, traditional leaders, community leaders, village health committees (VHCs) and local communities to gather information for the final report of this project.
• PUBLIC DEBATES AND INTERFACE MEETINGS
  • CIPE has planned to hold public debates and interface meetings with stakeholders in strategic places in order to generate issues surrounding the health sector and communities’ suggestions for resolving them.

The debates and meetings will target local people, policy-makers within the local government framework and other people holding key positions at local level.

These activities aim at mobilizing key stakeholders within the local government framework and other people holding key positions such as District Commissioners, political party leaders, Chiefs, Area Executive Committees (AECs), faith-based leaders, CSOs, gender focal groups, to an interface interaction with the public to review various health issues for redress.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Increased public awareness of their right to Sexual and Reproductive Health And Rights (SRHR) services and ability to demand this right;
• Enhanced collaboration between healthcare providers and community members on critical health-related issues;
• Enhanced government and local readiness to reduce overall HIV and Aids infections arising from weak delivery systems.
• Effective delivery of healthcare services in rural areas to prevent avoidable infections and deaths;
• Production and dissemination of guidelines for SRHR for community use; and
• Capacity building for local communities on SRHR.