Catholic Health Commission conclude Five-day COP review and planning meeting

The Catholic Health Commission, a pastoral arm of the Catholic Church in Malawi, together with its subsidiary body in the diocese of Chikwawa held its Country Operational plan review meeting from Monday 27^th September 20201 to Friday 1^st October 2021. The meeting was held with an aim to review the performance of the commission under EMPOWER project which promotes Voluntary Male Medical Circumcision, funded by USAID with JHPIEGO as a prime. Among the objectives of the meeting were review of COP 2020, plan for COP 2021 and document best practices that are very crucial in achieving project goals.

Speaking earlier at the beginning of the meeting, Fr Mathews Semba, who is Director for the Social Services Directorate for Chikwawa diocese, said that it is important that people from the catchment area are helped with right information so as to depart from myths surrounding circumcision and accept to receive the services.

“It is the wish of the Diocese to feed our people with accurate Clinical information about the project and its activities to prevent willing adult Males resorting to unsafe and unhygienic procedures elsewhere rather than in the safety of hygienic and well established VMMC clinics. “said Fr Semba

Taking her turn, Bertha Magomero who is the National Coordinator for Catholic Health Commission urged those that came for the meeting to take it as an opportunity to evaluate their performance and up their efforts where necessary so that the project can benefit more people.

And speaking at the close of the meeting Fr Semba thanked all for the efforts they are putting in for the success of the project. He implored on them to work extra hard so that the Diocese of Chikwawa can graduate to become a prime recipient of such projects and continue serving the people.

EMPOWER program is a five-year project which started in 2020 being implemented in the diocese of Chikwawa and its Catholic Health Commission. There are two operational facilities in Montfort Hospital and Misomali Health Centre. The third facility just started on first October at Makhuwira Health Centre. All signs point to the success of the project as more and more people are accessing the services.