Making health services more accessible in Malawi

Overall project value

management4health (m4h) GmbH in a consortium with SWECO GmbH and as sub-consultants Arch’ Art Lab Architects & Urban Designers and Structural Consultancy Services (LL) LTD, supports the Ministry of Health (MoH), Malawi to effectuate the Health Services Joint Fund (HSJF) which was established by KfW, UK AID and the Royal Norwegian Embassy. The objective of the HSJF is to improve the quality of health services to the rural population in Malawi.

Project description

In the light of necessary improvements in the provision of essential healthcare services in particular to the rural population, the Malawi Government formulated its Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) II 2017-2022 with the overall goal to ensure equitable, accessible, affordable, and sustainable quality health care services for the whole population, with a newly defined Essential Health Package (EHP) that should be available for free to all Malawians at the point of care. The HSSP II focusses amongst others on health services delivery by improving equitable access to and quality of health care services, health infrastructure development, human resources for health, health financing, medicines and medical supplies, and health information systems.

To support the MoH with the implementation of the HSSP, the governments of Germany, the UK and Norway decided to pool some of their funds in a new financing mechanism, the HSJF, to allow for faster implementation of the following types of projects:

• Capital investments for small infrastructure development projects
• Subsidies to district and central hospital recurrent expenditure
• Results based financing activities

As Technical Implementation Consultant (TIC) the consortium led by m4h supports the MoH and builds its capacity in HSJF project planning and implementation to ensure an efficient and accountable use of Development Partner (DP) funds.

Work Package

• Supervision and contract management of ongoing construction projects for health centres and staff houses
• Quality assurance, including technical payment certification, vetting of interim payment certificates (IPCs), materials approval processes, follow up of warranties and maintenance contracts and oversight as well as final handing over and commissioning of construction sites
• Negotiation or cancellation and re-tendering of dormant construction projects for health centres and staff houses, including Requests for Quotations (RfQ) to complete construction sites that were dormant
• Identification, development and tendering of suitable projects for funding by the HSJF according to the procurement guidelines of the Government of Malawi as well as the specific procurement guidelines of the respective DPs
• Preparation of procurement plans, bid documents, procurement, installation, and handing over of medical and non-medical equipment for the health centres as well as overall contract management and verification of invoices before payment
• Implementation of a procurement tracker to track all activities and monitor all risks (arrivals, delays, shortages in deliveries, contract follow-up) in the procurement process
• Procurement of an equipment management system and capacity building in its use
• Development of procurement training materials and delivery of training
• Craft a One Budget mechanism based on a modified HSJF concept to strengthen oversight/ governance, build capacity, improve efficiency, and increase fund utilisation of the existing mechanism for the FY 2022/23 to make the HSJF as attractive as possible for current and future financing organisations
• Follow-up on construction sites previously covered through the RBF project
• Physical verification exercise for the distributed RBF equipment
• Overseeing and coordinating HSFJ programme implementation
• Development, review and adherence of policies, guidelines, and standard operating procedures for the HSJF
• Development of concept notes/ motions incl. budgets for relevant areas of HSJF implementation
• Development and maintenance of the overall framework for HSJF programme M&E
• Regular progress reporting to the DPs

Umoyo Staff Houses at Khwisa Health Centre

Maternity at Chiospya HC in Mchinji

Thotho HC Handover Site

Front elevation of new maternity ward at Kalembo HC

Laboratory Block – Khwisa HC