Improving Health Care in Malawi Through Linkages of Services

Seven countries in Southern Africa are modelling how to deliver integrated SRHR-HIV services in order to improve uptake. This is Malawi's story.

The SRH-HIV Linkages programme aims to link HIV prevention, treatment and care with Sexual Reproductive Health Services. While this may appear logical, it is not the way public health clinics are currently organized in these countries. The programme is about making small subtle changes in health care delivery that have a big impact on the lives of ordinary people. It uses the opportunity to provide comprehensive services to any client who seeks health services at the clinics. If they seek HIV testing, they are also offered family planning, antenatal services, cervical cancer and TB screening, and more.

The results suggest that the project has led to increased uptake of critical HIV and SRH services, such as HIV testing and counselling and ART, as well as family planning commodities and cervical cancer screening. This project was launched in 2011 with funds from the European Union and the Governments of Sweden and Norway, and technical support from UNAIDS and UNFPA.

2015 © UNFPA Samson Mulugeta