Mchinji District Environmental Health Office (DEHO) says they are committed to working with Mother Care Groups (MCGs) in promoting vaccine immunization and ensuring that there is sustainability in the event that the campaign phases out.
Robson Kayira Mchinji District Environmental Health Officer (DEHO) said this on the sidelines of side visits tour with journalists organized with an aim to appreciate the on-going activities in the Reaching Every Child (REC) campaign implemented by Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN).
He said they always appreciate the impact MCGs are bringing to the community but he was quick to react on the challenges saying as health authorities they are making effort to ensuring that more partners are coming forward to help in fixing other existing gaps in the health care system.
"We might have challenges of reaching those areas as a district, now with taking on board of those areas by MHEN through the Mother Care Groups to reach out in health immunization and other things that goes together with providing services to the children, we fill this is a great job to us and we know that when we have partners like MHEN they may not be there for good but we as district employees will be there, so our partners have assisted us in imparting knowledge to these Mother Care Groups now it's for us to take part in monitoring and ensuring that there is sustainability at all levels," he said.
Kayira appreciated efforts done by MCGs in mobilising resources to support in developing infrastructures being used to provide health services including vaccines immunization within the communities.
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MHEN is working hand in hand with Centre for Research and Development Initiative (CERAD) in the district to support these mothers in the implementation of REC campaign.
Tambosi Phiri is CERAD Executive Director and she says there are positive strides through MCGs as they are being able to mobilize resources from well wishers to come up with health clinic facilities used for weighing and vaccine immunization for the under five children.
"We always discuss with Mother Care Groups on there short falls to see if at their own level have managed to find solutions, if we see that the problem needs action from District Health Office, we refer them to the Extended Programme on Immunization (EPI) coordinator who always discuss with Environmental Health Officer and in some instances to MHEN wich happens to be our last solution but other wise we make sure we sort it out at our own district level," she said.
On the sustainability part, she has since commended MCGs for making links with other partners who may continue supporting them in an event that the campaign phases out.
Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) is implementing a Reaching Every Child (REC) in Mchinji and other districts across the country with support from Global Alliance For Vaccine Immunizations (GAVI) with an aim of reaching every under five children with proper vaccines immunization.
