NIPH VISITS PHIM

Lilongwe, Malawi – April 6th, 2025.
by
Moses Nyambalo Phiri in collaboration with Dr. Trude Arnesen and Settie Kanyanda.

The Public Health Institute of Malawi (PHIM) recently welcomed Dr. Guri Rørtveit, Director General of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), for a significant visit aimed at strengthening the enduring partnership between the two institutions.

During her meeting with PHIM Director, Dr. Matthew Kagoli and his team, Dr. Rørtveit expressed admiration for the vital public health work being conducted in Malawi. “I am impressed to see the important work that is being done at PHIM and the longstanding collaboration between our two institutions,” stated Dr. Rørtveit.

Meetings with leadership and employees at the Public Health Institute of Malawi.

Throughout the meetings, Dr. Kagoli and the PHIM leadership presented an overview of the institute’s mandate and the specific public health challenges faced within Malawi. Dr. Rørtveit acknowledged the significant societal role PHIM fulfills, particularly in infectious disease control, despite being a relatively young institution operating with limited resources. “I can see that although PHIM is a young institution with limited resources, they play an important role in society, particularly regarding infectious diseases control,” Dr. Rørtveit said. She further expanded the universal importance of robust public health systems and the necessity of universal coverage for basic primary healthcare services to maximize the impact of available resources globally.

The relationship between PHIM and NIPH dates back to 2007, when the International Association of the Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) initially fostered a connection by designating them as “sister institutes.” This enduring partnership is currently exemplified by the “Building public health Institutions and systems Stronger” (BIS) project. Supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and projected to continue for at least four more years, the BIS collaboration focuses on critical areas including Integrated Disease Surveillance, comprehensive capacity building (which notably includes support for a new competency-based medical specialty in public health), enhancing biosafety and biosecurity measures, and providing overall institutional support to PHIM, as detailed by NIPH’s Dr. Trude Arnesen during the visit.

NIPH and PHIM teams gathering for a dinner.

A standout achievement discussed was Malawi’s remarkable progress in public health outcomes, particularly the dramatic increase in life expectancy at birth. This metric has risen by over 20 years within just 25 years, from 45.5 years in the year 2000 to a projected 66.4 years in 2025. Dr. Rørtveit expressed deep admiration for this accomplishment, describing the increase in longevity as a “tremendous success, almost unparalleled in history and in the world.”

The productive visit in Lilongwe, which included valuable interactions between leadership and staff from both institutes, Dr. Rørtveit and Dr. Kagoli traveled together to Maputo, Mozambique. There, they participated in the annual meeting of the International Association of Public Health Institutes (IANPHI), further demonstrating their joint commitment to advancing public health on both national and international stages.