Health authorities in Lilongwe are urging the Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) to sustain and scale up its support for community Mother Care Groups to protect child health and maintain immunisation rates, according to Nyasa Times.
Lilongwe District Expanded Programme on Immunisation Coordinator Maclean Nkhoma praised the groups for acting as a frontline defence in public health. Nkhoma noted that by tracking children who miss vaccines and educating mothers on the importance of immunisation, these community structures directly contributed to Lilongwe District achieving the 90 percent immunisation coverage recommended by the World Health Organization.
In response, MHEN Assistant Project Officer Tumpale Kalobo reaffirmed the organisation's commitment during a recent distribution of bicycles to the groups. The bicycle distribution is an intervention supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, designed to improve the groups' mobility and outreach for tracing defaulters in hard-to-reach areas.