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Malawi

BASICS’ technical assistance agreement with the Malawi Ministry of Health comprises a series of key objectives in 5 broad areas—

  1. Improving the prevention and management of childhood illnesses by…

    • expanding access to and the use of quality child health interventions.
    • improving access to quality child health and nutrition services, along with relevant HIV/AIDS care through public information and enhanced provider skills.
    • improving the prevention and management of childhood illnesses and promoting preventive nutrition.
    • strengthening district and community provision and management of newborn and child health, nutrition promotion services, and HIV counseling and testing.

  2. Improving infant and child nutrition through…

    • strengthening the promotion of general child nutrition at the community level to advance and increase coverage of nutrition interventions.
    • expanding mother support groups for the promotion of exclusive breastfeeding and support of transition to exclusive replacement feeding. (Mother support groups will encourage the inclusion of other child caretakers, such as fathers, to promote family decision-making about child feeding and support the mother to carry out those decisions.)
    • expanding coverage of treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) through Community-based therapeutic care and Community-based management of acute malnutrition) (CTC/CMAM).
    • improving the quality of curative services offered through CTC/CMAM at outpatient and facility (Nutrition Rehabilitation Unit―"NRU") levels.
    • ensuring appropriate two-way referral between outpatient care and NRUs.
    • improving the follow-up of infants and children discharged from outpatient CTC treatment.
    • mobilizing communities for nutrition education, collective action to prevent or reduce malnutrition, and case-finding.
    • Integrating HIV case-finding with CTC/CMAM.

  3. Improving the management of children born to HIV-positive mothers by…

    • expanding PMTCT services in the districts of Balaka, Chikwawa, Kasungu, Mangochi, Mzimba Nsanje, Salima and Zomba.
    • increasing the follow-up of infants and mothers seen through PMTCT programs.
    • increased number of HIV-exposed children under the age of 5 identified and referred for clinical assessment and, when feasible, for HIV testing.
    • increasing number of infants on cotrimoxazole prophylaxis, starting at six weeks of age.
    • Increasing the number of clinically qualified children under the age of 5 on ART (through PEPFAR ART programs).
    • Increasing the referral of infants in need of HIV care and treatment services through the establishment of functional referral networks from PMTCT, community programs, IMCI programs, immunization sites, OVC programs, and adult ART programs.

  4. Strengthening community malaria interventions through a grants program that will…

    • increase the correct and consistent use of insecticide-treated bed nets by Malawian families, particularly children under the age of 5, pregnant women, and people living with HIV/AIDS.
    • increase the number of households that re-treat and care for their insecticide-treated bed nets (conventional and long-lasting), as recommended by the product manufacturer.
    • strengthen the effectiveness of community networks to communicate and convince households about the necessity of preventing malaria (i.e., through year-round bed net use).
    • increase the number of caretakers that recognize danger signs in children who are ill with malaria (including convulsions), and understand the importance of prompt treatment.
    • increase the number of children who are promptly taken for treatment at a health facility or to a Health Surveillance Assistants (HAS) within 24 hours of the onset of fever.
    • increase the number of children under the age of 5 that are given the full recommended course of malaria treatment with Coartem.
    • ensure that individuals, families, communities, health workers, HSAs, and private providers understand changes in the Ministry of Health’s policy on malaria and the advantages of the new Coartem treatment.
    • increase the number of private drug distributors trained on the new malaria policy.

  5. Providing national level technical assistance to the Ministry of Health’s HIV Unit to…

    • strengthen capacity, policies and guidelines in HIV and PMTCT, including improved overall coordination of HIV/AIDS services with other child survival programs.
    • strengthen district and community provision of integrated management of child health, including PMTCT and pediatric HIV and AIDS services.
    • scale up PMTCT.
    • strengthen the integration of PMTCT and reproductive health services.