Seye Joseph
Globally, the fate of death malaria is bringing to many families is on
a high note and takes a huge part in the number of diseases ravaging
the world, most especially, African continent and continue to cripple
the economic development in many regions.
In Nigeria, the disease is responsible for 60% outpatient visits to
health facilities, 30% childhood death, 25% of death in children under
one year and 11% maternal death. The financial loss due to malaria
annually is estimated to be 132 Billion N
aira in form of treatment cost prevention loss of man hours.
According to Nigeria Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Lagos over
51 million Nigerians, equivalent to 30 percent of the population,
tested positive to the malaria parasite in 2015 with the highest
number of cases occurred in the North West and North Central zones of
the country.
With this alarming statistics increasing on daily basis and with less
total attention from government to fully eradicate the menace, private
sector has shown absolute commitment on the total eradication of
malaria in the country.
Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and
services company Huawei Technologies has joined Nigeria’s foremost
financial institution with a strong bias for excellent services
delivery, Access Bank, under the leadership of the CEO of Access Bank
– Mr. Herbert Wigwe to launch The Malaria-to-Zero Initiative as an
innovative financing platform to galvanize private sector resources
and capabilities for sustained support towards averting at least 1
million malaria cases and deaths by 2020–a first step towards
complementing government’s effort in achieving its malaria
pre-elimination goals by 2020.
This aim shall be achieved by organizing and tactfully leveraging on
the resources, capabilities and the proven expertise of private sector
organizations in our growing network, in addressing market failures
impeding the malaria elimination program in Nigeria.
The partnership which is geared towards accelerated impact understand
there is a need to sustain efforts, advance strategies and
collectively deploy resources that would ensure that; Malaria
interventions are properly mapped and implemented in line with best
practice – Increased resources for malaria-focused program – Integrate
malaria programming with other health interventions such as nutrition
or sexual and reproductive health – Demand creation for long lasting
insecticide treated nets – Investment in quality research and public
education – Technology driven data and surveillance management
systems.
It is apt to note that the partnership is also aimed at engaging
high-level stakeholders and decisions makers, create conducive
platforms, analyze risks and opportunities and promote knowledge
exchanges to bring about collective social action to end malaria in
Nigeria through an initiative called ‘Malaria-To-Zero’; an innovative
initiative that seeks to galvanize and pool private sector resources
and capabilities towards averting 1 million cases by 2020.
Speaking during the launch Mr. Ade Kehinde, Head, Enterprise sector,
Huawei Technologies, who spoke on behalf of Chief Executive Officer
(CEO), Huawei Technologies, Nigeria, Frank Li, said, Nigeria has the
highest malaria patients ranging from children to adults.
According to him, “Huawei has a company has employed about six hundred
Nigerians as workers and the company is using this medium to say Zero
to malaria in Nigeria that is why we are supporting Access bank in
fighting against malaria.”
He also said, Huawei will be glad to donate more fund if need be as
long as the money is been used to fund the ‘malaria to zero’ campaign.
MD/CEO, of Access bank said that the initiative aims at teaching 20
millions Nigerians how to live in a malaria free environment come year
2020.
“By 2020, 20 million Nigerians would have learnt how to combat
malaria. Life has a chance as any child born in Nigeria has that right
to life just like children born in other countries in the world.
Improving and winning war against malaria to zero in Nigeria and
across Africa is our aim,’’ Wigwe said.
According to him, “it is advisable to help financiers invest in the
most appropriate technical strategies suitable to local context.
Private sector is coming together to work with the government and
accelerate the campaign –malaria control-elimination. And this can be
achieved through private sector engagement platform.”
The Commission for Health in Lagos State, Dr Jide Idris commended the
roles of private sector to eradicate malaria in the country and
identified the roles they must play for the program to be successful.
Idris who was represented by Dr. Eniola Erinosho said that there must
be involvement in market based approaches aimed at improving
availability, access and affordability of malaria care and key
commodities that include social marketing, an approach used to develop
activities aimed at changing or maintaining people’s behaviour for the
benefit of individuals and society as a whole; social franchising that
entails organisation of multiple, existing, private providers into
contractually obligated networks to improve access to high quality
healthcare that is affordable to underserved communities.
Others include subsidizing private sector supply of ACTs; increasing
access to diagnostic services such as Rapid Diagnostic Testkits (RDTs)
and increase in supply and distribution of commodities supporting
prevention such as insecticide treated nets, insecticides for Indoor
Residual spraying and Larviciding
