Publication: Public Spending In Health Sector in Malawi
Date
2020-12
ISSN
Published
2020-12
Author(s)
Chansa, Collins
Yoo, Katelyn Jison
Nkhoma, Dominic
Ally, Mariam
Kuguru, Toni Lee
Borrazzo, John
Hettinger, Patrick
Zamawe, Collins Owen Francisco
Schneider, Pia
Abstract
Malawi’s economic growth has been low
and volatile for the past two decades, leading to stagnating
high poverty levels. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
will negatively affected economic growth leading to lower
government revenue. Despite low per capita growth, Malawi
has made strong progress in many areas of human capital
development since 2000. Notwithstanding the above, Malawi
still faces considerable gaps in human capital, which will
impede its ability to reduce poverty in the medium term.
Malawi lags behind in some health and nutrition outcomes,
including HIV and malaria prevalence. Strengthening human
capital in Malawi will be critical to reduce poverty,
increase inclusion in society, and create jobs. The World
Bank launched a new Human capital index (HCI) in October
2018 as part of its broader Human capital project. One
factor that contributes to low human capital outcomes is
Malawi’s adolescent fertility rate, one of the highest rates
of in the world, with 132 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
The main underlying cause for the high adolescent fertility
rate is the high rate of child marriage. The government is
making efforts to strengthen human capital. To strengthen
human capital in the face of limited fiscal space, Malawi
needs to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of
government and donor spending on human capital. To address
this problem, there is need to integrate financial reporting
systems at district and central government levels. This will
enhance government’s ability to monitor and evaluate
expenditure and program implementation across sectors.
Citation
“Chansa, Collins; Yoo, Katelyn Jison; Nkhoma, Dominic; Piatti, Moritz; Ally, Mariam; Kuguru, Toni Lee; Borrazzo, John; Hettinger, Patrick; Zamawe, Collins Owen Francisco; Schneider, Pia. 2020. Public Spending In Health Sector in Malawi. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/36131 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”