Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish a response to EDM 784, on Shortage of Medicines in Malawi.

As recently covered in international media, Malawi faces regular stock-outs of essential drugs, exacerbated by the global impact of Covid-19 on the cost of commodities including drugs. The UK is helping to address the underlying causes by working with the Government of Malawi and development partners to help make better and more efficient use of limited resources. We are advocating, through the Health Donor Group, for Malawi's Government to increase budgetary allocations and per-capita spending on health, and are working with the Government on their next Health Sector Strategic Plan and Health Financing strategy.

The UK funded Umoyo Wathu (Our Health) programme in Malawi aims to improve the health and survival of the most vulnerable, focusing on women and children. It helps to improve the quality of life-saving primary and community healthcare services; improve equitable resourcing and management of services; and strengthen accountability in district-level health service delivery. Through this programme, we are supporting the Ministry of Health to upgrade health facilities and provide cost free access to health services, including drugs, in remote areas. We are also working with UN partners to improve integration and quality of maternal, neonatal and child health services at district level.