The Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Research Programme (MLW) hosted a policy dissemination meeting for “The Multimorbidity-associated emergency hospital admissions: a ‘screen and link’ strategy to improve outcomes for high-risk patients in sub-Saharan Africa”, abbreviated as “Multilink” Study at Lifestyle Boutique Hotel in Lilongwe on Wednesday, 11th November 2025.

The study, led by Dr. Felix Limbani and which was conducted at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and Chiradzulu District Hospital, has revealed that nearly half of hospital admissions involve patients with multiple chronic conditions, and 40% of these patients die within 90 days of admission.

These alarming statistics highlight the urgent need to transition from fragmented to integrated health service delivery systems.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Jonathan Ngoma, Director of Curative and Rehabilitation Medical Services at the Ministry of Health, commended MLW for undertaking the Multilink Study, noting that it aligns closely with the National Health Strategic Plan-3, which emphasizes building an integrated, patient-centred health care system.

“Improving public health should not rest solely with the Ministry of Health. Sectors such as Education and Agriculture play a critical indirect role in shaping population health and must be part of the broader solution to the country’s health challenges.” He emphasized.

Speaking on behalf of MLW,  Adamson Muula, Professor of Public Health and  Epidemiology at  Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS), highlighted that the meeting offered stakeholders an important opportunity for knowledge sharing and collaboration within the policy space.

Sharing his insights, Dr. Francis Makiya, District Medical Officer at Council, highlighted that resource constraints continue to cripple health service delivery in the country. “The shortage of healthcare personnel – with only two clinicians sometimes attending to around 200 patients – compromises the quality of consultations and, consequently, the overall care provided to patients.”

The meeting also comprised a panel discussion which brought together key stakeholders from civil society organisations, district hospitals, and the Ministry of Health to deliberate on how findings from the Multilink Study can inform evidence-based decision-making at the policy level.

Also present at this meeting were the World Health Organization (WHO) and National AIDS Commission (NAC).

The study discovered that of 1007 patients admitted to four hospitals in Malawi and Tanzania, 47% had multimorbidity, most commonly hypertension, diabetes or HIV. Such conditions increase the risk of end-organ diseases such as heart failure, stroke and chronic kidney disease, and premature death.

Dr Felix Limbani, Co-Principal Investigator, Multilink and Senior Research Associate at MLW, said: “Malawi’s health system, as is the case with most health systems in the sub-Saharan Africa, is currently overwhelmed with treating a duo burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases.