CSOs decry reproductive health funding
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under the banner Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Alliance have called for an increase of the budget allocated to sexual reproductive health services.
Ironically, the SRH budget has, in the 2022-23 National Budget, improved nominally from K200 million to K475 million, translating into less than 1 percent of the total budget to the health sector.
A Policy Brief which the CSO released recently indicated that the ideal budget for SRH service provision is K12.7 billion.
SRH Alliance Vice- Chairperson Donald Makwakwa said there was a need to prioritise SRH as effective implementation of services in the area would help the country control its population, putting it in a better place to use natural resources sustainably.
“The higher the population, the bigger the impact on all other sectors. That is why we are saying let’s invest more in the SRH sector,” he said.
Parliament’s Committee on Health Chairperson Mathews Ngwale concurred.
“Healthcare service delivery is very poor in this country. We need to introduce some kind of payment so that those that are well-to-do can subsidise Malawians that cannot afford to pay for the services,” he said.
Oxfam Programmes Officer Doreen Thom said investing in SRH would help the government serve resources.
