By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Civil Society in Malaria Control Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) through the Malaria Eradication and Safe Health Initiative (MESHI) of Nigeria, recently held a One-Day Workshop to develop an engagement plan geared towards reducing the negative and awful impact of malaria in Anambra State to the barest minimum.
Speaking during the Workshop, the Zonal (Southeast) Coordinator of ACOMIN and the Founder and Chairman of Board of Trustees (BoT) of MESHI, Professor Dennis Aribodor, stated that the essence of the workshop was to brainstorm with relevant stakeholders on how best to stop malaria from endangering the lives of the children and pregnant women, emphasizing that they gathered to form a serious synergy between the government, health agencies, community leaders, state and non-state actors, to nip in the bud, the catastrophic effects malaria. He urged the government to take the lead in the fight against what he described as a killer disease.
Prof Aribodor, who is a Professor of Public Health Parasitology of the Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Faculty of Biosciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, enjoined all, especially the government, to join them in their task of fighting what he described as a monster, even as he called on all to shun acts capable of exposing them, especially children and women, to the menace.
He stated that the rampaging and devastating nature of malaria should not be treated with kid gloves, noting that they would not do or fight it alone. He added that all hands must be on deck if they were make any headway.
‘We need serious government interventions. They should take the lead. Without the government’s intervention we may not do much. The fight against malaria should be a collective responsibility.
‘Government should drive and push for it. They should subsidize the drugs, pricing and control. Make the drugs available, accessible to all and sundry. We are losing people on a daily basis to malaria. It is no longer business as usual. Government at all levels should invest heavily in this project.
‘There’s a limit to what we can do. That’s why we are calling and appealing to the government to own this fight. Malaria is our number one enemy and we shall treat it as such. Children and pregnant women are most vulnerable,’ Aribodor concluded.
For her part, the Programme Officer, Chioma Nnagbogu, lauded the Coordinator for what she described as his dexterity and sincerity of purpose, saying that he had done so well in the area of coordination and action plan, applauding the participants and stakeholders for making out time to attend the all-important workshop.
