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Malawi’s Deputy Minister of Health, Enock Phale, visited GAIA’s Mobile Health Clinics in Mangochi and Phalombe last week and pledged expanded partnership in neglected hard-to-reach areas. The Deputy Minister was greatly impressed by GAIA’s services and reach: “GAIA is doing a great job identifying places where there is great need for health care. There  are no health posts around this area and coming here will help the Minister meet the national health goals and also help people improve their quality of life.”

Noting how far residents would have to travel to reach government health facilities if GAIA was not present, the Deputy Minister expressed dismay and a commitment to improve health coverage in rural areas: “We can do better as a country and that is what this government wants to work on, with support from our partner GAIA.”

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Village leaders and officials from Mangochi and Phalombe’s district health offices echoed the Deputy Minister’s appreciation for GAIA’s clinics and hope for further expansion of health services in rural Malawi. GAIA staff will work with Ministry staff to develop joint funding proposals to expand our public-private partnership model to additional districts, helping the government meet its universal health coverage goals and meeting the need of the more than half of all Malawians who live more than an hour’s walk from government health facilities.

GAIA currently operates 7 mobile clinics in hard-to-reach, rural areas in three districts - Mangochi, Phalombe and Mulanje. Each clinic operates at 5 different sites weekly, providing care to, on average, 150 clients each day for acute and potentially life-threatening conditions such as malaria and pneumonia; chronic conditions such as hypertension, HIV, and epilepsy; and primary care needs including family planning and antenatal care.

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