Fighting Malaria Together Newsletter - May 2011

Tanzania trains malaria focal persons in supervision and monitoring

Mshuka Kamwela, MACEPA

Tanzania’s National Malaria Control Program strengthens monitoring and evaluation of malaria activities at the regional level.

To strengthen malaria control implementation, the Tanzania National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) is building the capacity of regional malaria and integrated management of childhood illness focal persons (RMIFPs) to coordinate supervision of malaria activities and staff at the district level and monitor and evaluate progress. In Tanzania, RMIFPs are responsible for coordinating the district/council malaria and IMCI focal persons; they liaise with NGOs and other partners in malaria control interventions in the region, report quarterly on progress, and advise on better implementation of malaria control activities. The NMCP is drafting a Malaria Control Supervision and Monitoring Guide to help consolidate and harmonize malaria monitoring tools and provide guidance on how malaria focal persons can use these new tools to promote effective and efficient monitoring and supervision of malaria activities in their regions.

One of the major challenges faced by the malaria focal persons is improving supportive supervision to district health care workers in the regions where they work. If health care workers receive little guidance on how to strengthen and improve their performance, this affects implementation at the central level. The Malaria Control Supervision and Monitoring Guide provides guidance on effective supervision, how to compose a strong supervision team at all levels, and a framework for monitoring that provides malaria focal persons with information on how to plan their activities in line with their plans of action.

Tanzania’s NMCP held a training to orient RMIFPs to the new guide. Participants came from 21 regions of Tanzania. The training included orientation on data collection and management skills and a field visit to three health facilities, where participants were able to practice and test the new tools. The training was officially opened by the NMCP Manager, Dr. Alex Mwita, and facilitators included NMCP’s technical team and WHO Malaria National Programme Officer. After the guide is finalized, the NMCP intends to distribute it to all district health offices in the county.