FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja
Secretary, Health Services and Environment Secretariat, FCT Administration, Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe, disclosed this, Tuesday while flagging off unbundling and distribution of malaria drugs and free test kits in Abuja
Dr. Fasawe stressed that Nigeria’s Ministry of Health was working with relevant bodies to achieve production of malaria vaccine that would be used by the country in prevention of the disease.
These disclosures were made Tuesday in Abuja at the flag off of unbundling and distribution of malaria drugs and free test kits.
While briefing the press after the ceremony, the FCT Mandate Secretary for Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Dolapo Fasawe said malaria remains a killer of children under five and women.
Briefing Journalists at the event, she said ” Only one thing causes malaria, which is mosquito. If we can eliminate mosquitoes, we can eliminate malaria. However, the network of roads provided by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike have provided access to communities during emergencies.
“ Today, we have taken a decisive and deliberate action to fight malaria. Malaria remains a leading cause of death among children under five and women.
“ Nigeria is responsible for 27 percent of global malaria prevalence, the highest figure in the world. A survey carried out by the World Health Organisation, WHO in 2024 says 1.4 million people of the population of FCT suffer from malaria. The FCT is between 5 to 6 million population, making it 5 percent of malaria prevalence.”
Fasawe said Wike paid up the counterpart funding for FCT last year which enabled them to participate in the programme this year. She said the fight against malaria is a fight for life as in every give minutes, a child dies of malaria in Nigeria. “ We want to kick out malaria from the FCT and Nigeria as a whole.”
She said that they have decided to completely eliminate malaria and that they are providing free test kits and free treatment with medicines.
She also noted that a survey in 2024 shows that 60 percent of children presented in the FCT presented clear cases of of malaria.
Assuring that all public health facilities in the FCT have been given free health kits and free drugs and that any facility found selling would be sanctioned. Also insecticide treated nets have been made available for distribution to pregnant women and nursing mothers.
She reiterated that malaria is a preventable cause of death and that treatment will reduce drastically cases of malaria.
The duration of the programme would be for two years while to keep drugs available all through the year, procurement would be carried out as at when needed.
In his contribution, the acting permanent secretary of Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr. Abubakar Ahmadi said the programme would improve access to health care and reduce out of pocket money of the people.
He urged health care practitioners to make judicious use of the kits and drugs.
The representative of Famkris Healthcare Initiative, Dr. Maureen Ugochuku, one of the NGOs partnering with the FCT said malaria remained Nigeria’s most pressing public health challenge. She said the economic toll is equally devastating as households spend scarce resources on treatment, while businesses suffer during malaria attacks.
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