Project launches were held in Malawi at the end of 2013 for two new EPOS-implemented projects: 1) Strengthening of the Malawian Health Management Information System (HMIS) at national and decentralized level (GIZ-funded); and 2) Strengthening of Quality Management (QM) Structures in the Malawian healthcare system with a focus on Reproductive Health (GIZ-funded).

The HMIS project supports the Malawi German Health Programme in the strengthening of evidence-based health information management within the Malawian healthcare system.

EPOS is providing services to support the national HMIS System and to support decentralized HMIS structures in Balaka, Dedza, Mchinji, and Ntcheu).

The services comprise capacity building of M&E staff to support the revision of the national HIS policy, strategy and guidelines; revision of the indicators included in the HMIS / DHIS 2.0 system; as well as provision of data collection tools. EPOS is also assisting in generating national data standards in the development of a national strategy for data integration.

At decentralised level, EPOS will assess the quality of data collected, provide capacity building for district level HMIS staff, develop and implement an operational plan for supportive supervision for HMIS and assist district level HMIS officers to carry out bi-annual rounds of data quality audits.

The second Reproductive Health QM project supports the Malawi German Health Programme in strengthening quality management within the Malawian healthcare system and aims at improving the quality and management of health services of public and private providers, particularly in maternal/neonatal health and family planning.

Technical Assistance concerns the institutionalisation of a central-level Quality Assurance Unit, housed in the Department of Planning and Policy Development (DoPP) within the MoH, as well as the strengthening of QM structures at decentralised and facility-level.

Service quality will be raised in line with the integrated national standards for Infection Prevention and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Family Planning (SRH/FP) through improvements in quality management at facility level, and by institutionalizing quality assurance systems at MoH and in the Medical Council of Malawi (MCM) and the Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi (NMCM).