United States (U.S.) Improves Madagascar’s Health Data Collection

Three years of U. S. government support has helped Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health strengthen its health information system in 80 basic health centers and improve care for the 7.3 million people they serve.

Since 2020, the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) Measure Malaria project has trained 1,800 Ministry of Public Health service providers and data managers to collect and analyze data to guide government health policies, programs, and health service delivery.

Managed by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the $5 million project has helped the ministry collect and analyze private sector data as well as monitor and evaluate health surveillance and malaria control plans to inform national and regional health policy. In the Analamanga region alone, 20 private hospitals now enter data directly into an electronic health data management system.

At a June 22 ceremony, USAID Health, Population, and Nutrition Office Acting Director David Parks noted that despite the success of the PMI Measure Malaria project and the larger comprehensive package of PMI- funded assistance, the fight to eradicate the deadly disease is far from over in Madagascar.

“The ability to collect and analyze health data is a smart investment that enables decision-making to improve the health and well-being of populations,” Parks said. “PMI Measure Malaria played an important part to ensure health officials do so effectively.”

The project also helped ministry staff conduct regular data reviews and provide supervision at the regional, district, and community levels to control malaria and promote maternal and child health, family planning, and immunization services.

With PMI support, Madagascar has reduced the number of confirmed malaria cases from 2.3 million to 1.7 million in the last year, a reduction of more than 25 percent that has saved lives and kept the Malagasy people healthy and productive in support of the country’s development.

PMI Measure Malaria is led globally by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is implemented in Madagascar by ICF Macro Inc. and John Snow Inc.

Like “mpirahalahy mianala,” the people of the United States walk hand in hand with the people of Madagascar to control malaria and have provided $26 million in 2022 and $383 million in support since 2008.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in Madagascar.