The Ministry of Health has pledged continuous implementation of measures aimed at ensuring that patients living with more than one chronic illness, also known as multimorbidity, are accessing care timely and effectively.
The commitment follows findings from a study by Malawi Liverpool Welcome MLW in collaboration with Kamuzu University of Health Sciences KUHeS, that has revealed that 47 percent of hospitalized adults in Malawi and Tanzania suffer from multiple chronic diseases.
The Multilink Study which was conducted between September 2021 and August 2025, tested a strategy called Screen and Link, designed to identify multiple diseases early and connect patients to the right treatment.
In an interview with MIJ Online, Adamson Muula Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at KUHeS said the research was conducted following issues that many adults arrive at hospitals already presenting with more than one illness.
Commenting on the matter Dr. Jonathan Ngoma, Director of Curative and Medical Rehabilitation Services in the Ministry of Health, said as the ministry has the ability to manage patients with multimorbidity,
Ngoma, expressed hope that the findings will help healthcare providers deliver treatment suited to each patient’s specific conditions.