The National Nutrition Care, Support, and Treatment (NCST) Operational Plan.

The Malawi National Nutrition Care, Support, and Treatment (NCST) Operational Plan is a national cross sectoral plan for the period 2018-2022. Its goal is to increase access and coverage of quality nutrition services for adolescent and adult PLHIV and TB clients as well as other patients presenting at health facilities with various forms of illness.
Malnutrition remains infact a major public health problem in Malawi and is compounded by the high prevalence of infections, such as HIV and tuberculosis (TB). Recognising the important role that food and nutrition interventions play in the care and treatment of these diseases, the Government of Malawi is committed to delivering effective food and nutrition interventions.
The scope of this 5 years plan is to guide the government and its partners to effectively plan and implement such interventions; accelerate the institutionalization and integration of service delivery within the health system, taking in consideration issues of coordination, supply chain management, financing, governance, sustainability, and advocacy; and provide a monitoring and evaluation framework for implementation, emphasising the use of measurable indicators with set targets to determine progress and ensures that those most in need of services have access. Lastly, the operational plan outlines the costs needed to implement each of the prioritised actions.
In order to increase access and coverage of quality nutrition services to adolescents and adults, reduce food insecurity and malnutrition, the plan sets seven objectives, to each of which corresponds a strategic action area outlined in section 3 and a monitoring and evaluation plan detailed in section 4 of the operational plan. The plan objectives consist in improving availability and access to NCST supplies and equipment; increasing competence and responsiveness of NCST workforce; increasing the quality and geographical coverage of NCST service delivery; improving monitoring, evaluation, and information management; strengthening leadership and governance of NCST services; increasing resource mobilization and financing of NCST services; intensifying NCST services to respond to emergency and humanitarian situations.