World Bank Approves 210 Million Dollar Grant for Health Services, Safety Net Provisions in Malawi
The grant will also be used to strengthen safety net provisions for the country's poor and vulnerable people, according to a statement from the World Bank.
Malawi: The World Bank has approved a 210 million dollar grant for the delivery of essential health services in Malawi, writes Gloria Masanza-Kanyang’wa.
The grant will also be used to strengthen safety net provisions for the country's poor and vulnerable people, according to a statement from the World Bank.
100 million dollars of the grant will be used for emergency operations to protect the delivery of essential health services, while the remaining 110 million dollars will be used to scale up efforts to protect the vulnerable from hunger and poverty.
“The second part of the grant will support the Social Support for Resilient Livelihoods Project-SSRLP in which 300,000 vulnerable households will benefit from an emergency social cash transfer programme for 3 months, and another 105,000 beneficiaries in urban hotspots will also benefit in cash support for 3 months,” reads the statement.
Malawi is facing several health challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a cholera outbreak, which have strained the country's resources.
“These two approvals enable IDA to front-load emergency financing for Malawi’s poorest and most vulnerable to ensure community resilience through a highly challenging economic period for the country. While securing front-line health services and scaling safety nets is a direct response to the crisis, these projects are also designed to strengthen Malawian-led delivery systems, financial transparency and accountability and citizen engagement,” says Hugh Riddell, World Bank Country Manager for Malawi.
The World Bank has stated that part of the 100 million dollars from the grant will be used to pay the salaries of front-line health workers at the district level and cover operating expenses such as fuel to keep health facilities running as they try to manage the cholera outbreak.