The Mandate of the Ministry of Health is to set the agenda for healthcare in Malawi. The Minister of Health provides the government’s policy direction on health matters. The Secretary for Health is responsible for the overall functioning of the health sector supported by health professionals, technical, administrative, financial, human resource, procurement and other expert staff. Ministry Headquarters is responsible for developing, reviewing, and enforcing health-related policies for the health sector; spearheading sector reforms; developing and reviewing standards, norms, and management protocols for service delivery and ensuring that these are communicated to lower level institutions; planning and mobilizing health resources for the health sector including allocation and management; advising other ministries, departments and agencies on health related issues; providing technical support for supervision; coordinating research; and monitoring and evaluation.