By Wezzie Gausi:
The government is facing renewed pressure to increase funding to the health sector to at least 15 percent of the national budget, in line with the Abuja Declaration.
Health advocates warn that continued underfunding is weakening service delivery and threatening patient care.
The call has been made by the Malawi Health Equity Network, which says Malawi remains below the benchmark agreed by African leaders in 2001 under the Abuja Declaration, where countries committed to allocate at least 15 percent of national budgets to health.
MHEN Executive Director George Jobe said Malawi must move beyond policy commitments and translate the declaration into concrete budget decisions.
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“The government needs to increase the health allocation toward the 15 percent target because the challenges in the sector remain huge,” Jobe said, pointing to continued pressure on public hospitals, shortages of essential medicines and limited staffing.
The Abuja Declaration, which African Union member states adopted in April 2001, commits countries to strengthen health systems through increased domestic financing.
While some nations have moved closer to the target over the years, many, including Malawi, have struggled to sustain funding at that level.
Recent budget documents show that Malawi’s health allocation remains below the 15 percent benchmark.
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The 2025-26 national budget allocates slightly below 10 percent of total expenditure to health, according to sector analyses, leaving a significant gap between current spending and the Abuja commitment.
Health rights activist Maziko Matemba said failure to meet the target had direct consequences for citizens who rely on public facilities.
“Underfunding is seen in the daily experiences of patients, from medicine shortages to overcrowded wards. If the government wants to improve health outcomes, increasing the budget share is not optional,” Matemba said.
Analysts say rising debt obligations and competing demands across sectors continue to limit fiscal space, making it difficult for government to raise spending quickly.
