Health workers in Malawi benefit from safer workplace practices

Addressing workplace hazards to protect health workers

Malawi’s health system faces persistent challenges, from workforce shortages to limited resources and uneven service quality, especially in rural areas. Through the ILO–OECD–WHO Working for Health Programme, Malawi has taken concrete steps to improve working conditions, strengthen skills systems, and promote safer, healthier workplaces for health workers in four pilot health facilities.

'ILO-WHO HealthWISE toolkit' implementation

HealthWISE is a practical, participatory quality-improvement tool that supports health facilities enhance workplace practices across occupational safety and health, personnel management, and environmental health. Its Action Manual and Trainers’ Guide combine hands-on learning and real workplace action.

In 2024, the ILO trained 40 health workers from four facilities—Ntchisi District Hospital, Mponela Rural Hospital, Chezi Health Centre, and Salima District Hospital—as Trainers of Trainers on the HealthWISE approach. Participants, ranging from nurses and lab technicians to messengers and security staff, learned to identify hazards, improve workflows, and lead improvements to their everyday working environments.