Malawi launches Nursing and Midwifery policy

Ministry of Health and Population has said the development Nursing and Midwifery Policy aims at improving services delivered by nurses and midwives in the country.

Minister of Health and Population, Jappie Mhango made the remarks Thursday in Lilongwe during the launch of the Policy.

He pointed out that the Policy provides guidance in the provision of comprehensive and quality nursing and midwifery services.

Mhango noted that in the absence of the policy the country faced challenges in contextualizing national standards of healthcare provisions because they used International and Regional policies and guidelines that did not suit the local scenarios.

“This policy will provide direction to all practicing nurses and midwives, partners and stakeholders as they work together towards the health sectors vision of achieving a state of health for all the people in the country,” the Minister pointed out.

He said nursing and midwifery service provision was one of the most important pillars in health care delivery.

“The Ministry is appealing to all Government departments, cooperating partners, and other key stakeholders in the heath sector, to utilize the policy to guide and support the delivery of Nursing and Midwifery services in the country,” Mhango stated.

He said the Ministry would ensure that resources were committed for implementation of the policy.

“The implementation of this policy will contribute towards achievement of health related sustainable development goals and improved quality of life,” the Minister said

He said the challenge for nurses and midwives in the country manifests itself in low staffing and large patient loads therefore considering quality in the delivery of health services was dependent on the policy.

Mhango added that, “Ministry of Health is committed to facilitating the creation of an enabling environment for the delivery of quality nursing and midwifery services.”

National Organization of Nurses and Midwives in Malawi (NOMN) President, Shout Simeza said in the absence of the policy NOMN found it difficult to engage Government on areas affecting the delivery of health care systems in the country.

He isolated one item in the Policy that came out strongly which had to do with human resources for health especially human resources of nurses and midwifery.

Simeza said the policy would assist in lobbying for the welfare of nurses and midwives which included increasing the number of number and midwives to ease the pressure and workload assigned to the health practitioners in the country.

“The policy will be used as an advocacy tool for nursing and midwifery services in Malawi for raising the profile and status of nursing in the country,” he said.

The Policy was formulated after consultative and interactive processes that involved various stakeholders engaged in work relevant to nursing and midwifery through community and hospital-based practices in addition research was used to gather relevant current information.

Financial assistance for the development of the policy was provided by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

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