Table 2 Purpose of the six Ministry of Health Technical Working Groups

1

Service Delivery

To provide input in and facilitate the review of the delivery of health services at all levels in line with identified health needs, the demand for health services and the affordability of the essential health package as well as professional standards for quality-of-service provision

2

Medical Products, Vaccines, Technologies and Infrastructure

To provide input in and facilitate the development of standards and specifications of pharmaceuticals to be included in the national Essential Drugs List, including the recommended antigens for the national Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) as well as standards and specifications of medical equipment and health infrastructure

3

Health Financing

To provide technical input in and facilitate the development of a comprehensive but prioritized range of policy options for health system financing in Malawi for the medium and longer term

4

Health Information

To contribute to establishing an integrated health information system for the Malawi health sector that ensures the availability of accurate, reliable and timely information for planning, management and decision-making

5

Health Workforce

To provide technical input and advice on health workforce issues relevant to the implementation of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP), especially the implementation of the overall health workforce strategic plan

6

Leadership and Governance

To inform the MoH of changes that require appropriate responses/actions related to the health sector and MoH leadership and governance processes