By Mtisunge Gwedeza
In a bid to strengthen Malawi’s healthcare system, health experts including medical laboratory professionals, pharmacists, and other stakeholders met at the Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust in Blantyre to discuss strategies for improving the availability, quality, and accessibility of diagnostic services.
The meeting which was held under the theme, “Advancing diagnostic capacity in Malawi: strategic dialogue on innovation integration and system strengthening”, also discussed how emerging technologies and innovation can be applied to push policies, financing and workforce development.
Deputy Director of Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM), Joseph Bitilinyu Bango, hailed the initiative, saying, “When this innovation started, I never thought it would reach this far.“It is getting big and I’m happy we are working together as a team. Let us continue working together, and mobilise resources to achieve our goals.”
First session of the meeting at Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust further discussed knowledge transfer as some of the ways of shaping the Malawi Diagnostics and Innovation Network (MaDINE) strategy.
The second session embraced the idea of establishing a steering committee secretariat comprising various stakeholders as a way of building partnerships and strengthening governance to operationalise MaDINE.
Chairperson of the MaDINE, Associate Professor Brenda Kwambana, encouraged the experts to continue working together in implementing the strategies to achieve the initiatives objectives.
“To achieve this, we need strategic partnerships in various sectors like education and sanitation other than health sectors.
“Let us continue reminding one another, pushing and working together as a team to achieve our goals,” she added.
MaDINE was established in 2024 to bridge the gap in access to affordable and improved diagnostic services, particularly at primary health facilities.
