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Malaria putting pressure on govt resources – Buni laments

 

Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni has said the effects of malaria is putting pressure on government resources, income of many households as well as causing low productivity thereby affecting the entire health system.

The governor on Tuesday said this when he received the National Coordinator for Malaria Elimination Programme, Dr. Obot, on an advocacy visit at the Government House, Damaturu.

Represented by his Deputy, Idi Barde Gubana, Buni noted that malaria remains one of the deadly diseases that Yobe, like other states of the federation, has to contend with especially in its drive of safeguarding the lives of children under the ages of five.

In fighting the scourge of the disease, he said the Yobe State Government had provided counterparts funding of over N100 million for the Seasonal Malaria Chemo-prevention, (SMC) in 2020 and 2021.

Buni stressed that Intermittent Prevention Treatment (IPT) is being implemented to ensure that pregnant women and their unborn children are adequately protected against malaria.

“We are also working towards creating synergy between relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies for the adoption and enforcement of environmental laws that could assist in malaria prevention in our state”, the governor added.

He commended the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) and development partners for strengthening the intervention on prevention through the mass distribution of 3.6 million Long Lasting Insecticide-Treated Nets (LLINS) to achieve universal coverage that was held in June 2019 which was the largest so far.

Buni in a statement released by the Press Secretary to Yobe State Deputy Governor, Hussaini Mai Suleh, was optimistic that the collective effort will go a long way toward achieving the RBM goals for 2021 -2023.

In his remarks, the Coordinator for malaria elimination programme Dr. Obot, represented by Mr. Isicje Lucas, said malaria remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, while informing the governor that Yobe is one of those states to benefit from the new GF grant 2021- 2023.

Yobe, according to him, is required to budget for and release the minimum sum of N1, 042,199,330 for the control of malaria in the state for the next three years.

He commended the Yobe State Government for its effort and progress made in the state’s response to COVID-19 pandemic as well as malaria across 17 local government areas of the state.

“We need to sustain and improve on these achievements”, the coordinator urged.

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