By Blessing Otobong-Gabriel
Federal government has established an Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria, Amen, and the Ministerial Task Force on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria as a significant step to accelerate progress towards malaria elimination.
Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, while inaugurating the advisory board and ministerial taskforce, explained that malaria poses a significant burden on Nigeria in terms of mortality, morbidity, lost work hours, out-of-pocket expenses, and government investments in treatments and interventions.
The minister emphasised that despite being preventable and treatable, malaria continues to be a major challenge for the country.
The Advisory on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria is to be chaired by Emeritus Professor Rose Leke University of Yaoundé, Cameroun.
Other members include Professor Dyann Wirth, of the Harvard School of Public Health, Dr Soji Adeyi President, of Resilience Health System, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar, University College, London, and Prof. Peter Piot, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Prof Pate explained that the Ministerial Task Force will consist of stakeholders from various sectors who have extensive knowledge of malaria implementation in Nigeria and are based in Nigeria.
The task force will contribute to the overall goal of the National Malaria Elimination Program, NMEP, and work to reduce the incidence of malaria. It will also aim to improve the impact of malaria interventions through coordinated efforts in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and awareness creation.
The Ministerial Taskforce is co-chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare and the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, while the Chairman of the Malaria Technical Working Group in Nigeria, will serve as the Vice Chairman.
Other members of the Ministerial Taskforce, included the Permanent Secretary, Director, Public Health, representatives of WHO, Secretary, Country Coordinating Mechanism, GF, Representatives of the Civil Society Organizations Secretary, Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (PMG, MAN), Strategic Adviser to the Hon. Ministers of Health on Malaria, Secretary of the Governors’ Forum and Technical Adviser to the Coordinating Minister on ATM.
The National Coordinator of the National Malaria Elimination Programme serves as the Secretary.
