CHERA Holds National Dialogue on Health and Medicine Access

A local health rights group, Community Health Rights Advocacy (CHERA), held a national meeting in Lilongwe on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, to discuss how Malawi can improve access to affordable medicines for diseases like HIV, TB, Hepatitis C, and Cervical Cancer.

The meeting brought together government officials, civil society organizations, local medicine manufacturers, and community health workers. They discussed the barriers caused by intellectual property rights, Malawi’s reliance on imported medicines, and the lack of support for local drug production.

One major issue raised was domestic health funding. The Ministry of Health said it is working on a new “sustainability roadmap” to ensure the country can continue providing essential medicines without always depending on donors.

Serah Mayuni, a pharmacist from the Ministry of Health, said the roadmap will involve all players in the health sector. “We want to build a system where Malawi can stand on its own and maintain the progress made with donor support,” she explained.

CHERA Executive Director Aniz Mithi said the dialogue was important because it helped share findings from a study done with Kenyan partners (KELIN) on how intellectual property affects access to medicines in Malawi.

He stressed the need for Malawi to become self-reliant, saying, “Many people are failing to access treatment because some health centers closed due to donor cuts. We must now focus on making medicines available locally.”

The meeting was part of the Solidarity Project, run by the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) in partnership with CHERA and KELIN.

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