LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-Malawi is still grappling with the goal Six of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that promotes clean water and sanitation.

Goal six is ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. But the case is different in Malawi.

The observation comes amid recent report that 24% of healthcare facilities lack access to a basic water supply in Malawi that Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services remain in dare state.

This has prompted WaterAid Malawi to raise an alarm on existing gaps continue to expose mothers and newborn babies to preventable infections and avoidable deaths.

Addressing the Annual General Meeting for the WASH Media Forum in Dowa, WaterAid’s Head of Advocacy and Communication, Chandiwira Chisi observes that persistent lack of clean, safe water in health facilities undermines national efforts to improve maternal and newborn health.

Chisi therefore emphasised the need for sustainable and collective efforts in improving access to safe water in hard to reach communities.

“While we are looking at the general outlook of WASH, it’s high time the nation prioritized in promoting neonatal and maternal health”, appeals Chisi.

In his presentation, Kasungu District Director for Health and Social Services Dr. Emmanuel Golombe attributed challenges affecting WASH to inadequate funding in the district hospitals.

Echoing the same, the Deputy Director for the Reproductive Health Directorate, Juliana Kanyengambeta Mubanga, revealed that 24% of maternal deaths in Malawi are caused by infections—many of which result from poor hygiene, contaminated water, and unsafe delivery environments.

Mubanga reaffirmed the government’s commitment to collaborating with partners like WaterAid to strengthen WASH systems and safeguard mothers and babies.

Therefore WASH Media Forum Chairperson Meclina Chirwa urged journalists to amplify citizens’ concerns, ensuring authorities address long-standing problems affecting health service delivery.

With full financial support from WaterAid, the three day WASH Media Forum AGM has attracted journalists across the country.

The Maravi Post