The Federal Authorities has vowed to get rid of malaria following an annual lack of $1.1bn to the well being disaster.
Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Coordinating Minister for Well being & Social Welfare, made this declaration on the inaugural assembly of the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN) held in Abuja.
He described malaria as not only a well being disaster, but additionally an financial and developmental emergency that have to be eradicated.
In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister acknowledged that the federal authorities is resolute in its dedication to get rid of malaria. The launch of an advisory physique, he identified, is due to this fact a daring and decisive step to confront and tackle a depraved downside that has undermined the well being and financial progress of the nation.
He stated: “Malaria continues to exert an unacceptable toll on Nigeria. With 27% of world malaria circumstances and 31% of world malaria deaths, our nation bears the heaviest burden of this illness. In 2022, over 180,000 Nigerian youngsters underneath the age of 5 misplaced their lives to malaria— a tragedy we’ve the instruments to forestall.”
On its financial penalties, the Coordinating Minister emphatically declared: “This isn’t only a well being disaster; it’s an financial and developmental emergency. Malaria reduces productiveness, will increase out-of-pocket well being expenditures and compounds the challenges of poverty. The annual loss to Nigeria’s GDP from malaria exceeds $1.1 billion, a stark reminder of the financial crucial of elimination.”
Malaria elimination, Prof. Pate acknowledged, is a vital element of the Nigeria Well being Sector Renewal Funding Initiative (NHSRII) framework for reworking the well being sector, in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration.
Whereas acknowledging the urgency of the duty as mirrored within the Nationwide Malaria Strategic Plan 2021-2025, which goals to cut back malaria prevalence to beneath 10 per cent, and halve malaria-related mortality by 50 deaths per 1,000 dwell births, the Coordinating Minister highlighted the significance of conventional and non secular leaders to drive grassroots help and affect behaviour change.
This advocacy strategy, he emphasised, will complement AMEN in selling the usage of insecticide-treated nets, chemoprevention, and vaccines.
Talking earlier, the Minister of State for Well being & Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, affirmed that the advisory physique is a gaggle of consultants who will present evidence-based advisory to assist the nation not solely cut back its unacceptable malaria burden but additionally set it on a sensible path to a malaria-free Nigeria.
“For us to succeed, the non-public sector, worldwide companions, healthcare staff, and the communities we serve have to be harnessed and coordinated,” Dr. Salako added.
Delivering her welcome tackle, the Everlasting Secretary Daju Kachollom, represented by Dr Chukwuma Anyaike, Director of the Public Well being Division within the Ministry, acknowledged that the renewed dedication by the current administration has introduced a brand new life to the trouble to get rid of the illness.
It’s pertinent to state that the Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria (AMEN) is made up of worldwide famend consultants underneath the management of Prof. Rose Leke, charged with refocusing on advancing evidence-based options that tackle present challenges, guaranteeing that malaria elimination is prioritized within the budgets and plans of all ranges of presidency, and creating frameworks for accountability that guarantee sustained progress.
