 |
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako |
"The Federal Government through the Rethinking Malaria Initiative has put into action key strategies to change the narratives and drive a more effective and efficient malaria elimination goal." Iziaq Salako.
The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare on Friday, in the nation's capital, joined the global community including key stakeholders to commemorate the 2025 World Malaria Day, which is held annually on April 25th.
This day, with the theme; “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reignite, reimagine”, serves as a reminder that we all have a role to play in ending malaria. It calls upon us to take ownership and make the necessary decisions that will help us achieve our goal of eliminating this deadly disease. It also serves as an important reminder of the ongoing fight against malaria, a disease that is often underestimated and referred to as "ordinary" despite its devastating impact on individuals and communities.
Nigeria's Minister of State Health Dr Iziaq Adekunle Salako, in his address at the event which held at the Rockview Hotel Royale in Abuja, noted that, "in Nigeria, malaria continues to be a major public health issue, with children under five years of age and pregnant women being most at risk".
Salako, at the Roundtable discussion and Press Briefing disclosed that "this disease not only causes suffering and death, it also disrupts the economic ecosystem by hindering productivity and increasing healthcare costs."
He expressed concerns by the statistics revealed in the World Malaria Report (WMR) 2024 which shows that Nigeria alone is responsible for 27% of the global malaria cases and 31% of the global malaria deaths. This highlights the urgent need for proactive action to prevent and eliminate this deadly disease within our borders.
"Eliminating malaria and other related diseases is topmost in the agendas of this administration," he stated.
He therefore acknowledged the support and leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR in this fight, stressing that the President, in his dedication to improve the health of Nigerian citizens has been a strong advocate for the elimination of malaria, providing the needed high level political leadership for all current efforts and strategies to tackle the malaria scourge.
"Let me therefore on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare appreciate Mr. President for his personal dedication and the priority attention the prevention and control of diseases of public importance including malaria is receiving under his leadership." Salako stated.
He pointed out that, "Through the support of our partners, we have also put evidence-based interventions in place to achieve a malaria free Nigeria by 2030.
"These interventions include increasing access to and use of insecticide-treated mosquito nets which we plan to implement in 12 states this year. The states include Akwa Ibom, Delta, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Oyo, Taraba and Yobe states. In addition, we will be implementing Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) in the 21 SMC-eligible states (all the northern states) and providing approximately 30 million under-five children with malaria preventive medicines.
He disclosed that the Ministry has initiated the processes to pilot for the first time, Larval Source Management in six states which include: Abia, Borno, Ekiti, Lagos, Ondo, and Rivers States.
The Minister of State Health reiterated that, "the Federal Government through the Rethinking Malaria Initiative has put into action key strategies to change the narratives and drive a more effective and efficient malaria elimination goal. Among these actions are the implementation of a Pragmatic costed plan that is based on sub-national tailoring of key malaria interventions and the establishment of an Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN) which is harnessing top malaria experts across the globe to provide technical assistance support for the country’s efforts in eliminating malaria."
Speaking further, Dr. Salako added that the has deployed a phased rollout of the Malaria Vaccine, which began in December 2024 in Kebbi and Bayelsa State, benefitting children aged 5-23 months (with around 80,000 eligible children receiving MV1). This will be expanded to an additional 17 states in 2025 as part of our scale-up plan.
"We are continuously striving to improve the availability of malaria treatment and diagnostic services in all the states, including those states currently affected by the United States "Stop Work Order" by the US Government.
"The Federal Government of Nigeria has made adequate budgetary allocation to fill the funding gap that is created by the freeze in USAID/PMI malaria elimination activities in our country. Urgent malaria commodity needs in USAID/PMI-supported health facilities in the affected states have been identified and will be procured through the Procurement and Supply Chain Management Unit in collaboration with the Presidential Initiative for Unlocking Healthcare Value Chain (PVAC). These commodities include Artemisin based Combination Therapies (ACTs), Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) kits, Injectable artesunate for severe malaria, and Sulfadoxine/Pyrimethamine (SP) combination drugs for pregnant women. To ensure last-mile delivery, an integrated supply chain mechanism, coordinated by the National Product Supply Chain Management Program will be utilised. This will help to ensure efficient delivery of these life-saving commodities to where they are most needed." He revealed.
"Furthermore, we are working to strengthen our health systems and improve surveillance and data collection to better track the spread of malaria. This year, we are implementing two major surveys; The Rapid Impact Assessment and Malaria Indicator Surveys, both of which would help us to determine the effectiveness of our interventions and track progress towards our goals. The Rapid Impact Assessment will provide us with quick and actionable data on the short-term outcomes of our interventions, while the Malaria Indicator Survey will give us a better understanding of the prevalence and impact of malaria in the country.
"In addition to the efforts of government and our development partners, we recognize the important role of the private sector in combating malaria. As a major contributor to the country's economy, the private sector has the resources and expertise to support our efforts. We are working with the Nigeria End Malaria Council, a public private partnership mechanism chaired by world renowned businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aliko Dangote to mobilize additional funding and other resources to support the implementation of the National Malaria Elimination Programme.
The Honourable Minister of State, Health, therefore urged all businesses to join in this cause donating and investing to create a more sustainable and effective approach to malaria prevention and treatment.
"By working together, we can improve access to equitable, affordable, and quality-assured healthcare product and services for malaria and make a significant impact in eliminating this disease from our country." He said.
In his conclusion, Salako appealed to individual Nigerians to take responsibility for their own health and the health of their loved ones by seeking early treatment for malaria symptoms, get tested before treatment, sleep under insecticide-treated nets, and maintaining clean environments to prevent mosquito breeding. It is only through collective action that we can successfully combat malaria.
Iziaq Salako used the opportunity of the commemoration to appreciate all malaria stakeholders, especially frontline health workers for their tireless efforts, dedication and hard-work in providing vital services at all level of healthcare without which we would not have made the progress we have today.
He further acknowledged contributions of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the defunct USAID/President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, Malaria Consortium, UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), other implementing partners and our private sector stakeholders.
No comments:
Drop Comment