The African Networks for Drug and Diagnostic Innovation (ANDDI), a research centre, has called on state governments in Nigeria to collaborate with the private sector to tackle malaria.
Prof. Wellington Oyibo, a Consultant Medical Parasitologist, Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Lagos, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
He was speaking against the backdrop of the World Malaria Day celebrated on April 25 every year.
The day was set aside by WHO members to draw attention to the continued need to investment in the fight against malaria.
The theme for the 2019 celebration is: “Zero Malaria Starts with Me”.
“Government in the states especially, must take very good leadership and do more in the elimination of malaria.
“I repeat that in midst of lean resources, which we must admit, they should do more and leverage with the private sector with innovative plans to defeat malaria.
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“ Real malaria control sits in the states and local government areas; some states are doing well and others are not.
“ The Federal Government deals with policies, guidelines and strategies and this is excellent.
“Resource allocation to malaria and other disease is the biggest challenge. Same applies to monitoring and functionalities of the facilities.
“So if we all are involved, public and private sector, we will to some extent be free from malaria,’’ Oyibo, also a Principal Investigator at ANDI, said.
The parasitologist said that malaria control was the responsibility of everyone.
He said there were many ways governments could contribute to the control and pre-elimination of malaria.
He stressed that if there was the political will, adequate and appropriate decisions and strategies would be taken to combat the disease.
Oyibo said: “One thing is clear, supply of commodities and the management of her human resource to ensure we all are on top of our work.
“We cannot rely too much on donors. Donors really want to see more of our contributions so they can add more.
“We have the malaria policies, guidelines and strategies and other documents to guide malaria in the country, we should act on them.’’
The parasitologist said that malaria, a preventable and treatable disease, had killed more people than the challenges being faced in the fight against the disease.
He, therefore, urged the media, who sensationally report the challenges, to do more to get everyone on board so that the global and national targets set against malaria could be met.
NAN reports that ANDI Centre of excellence for Malaria Diagnosis is an International Centre for Malaria Microscopy and Malaria Rapid Diagnosis tests quality assurance centre.
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It provides the platform for Malaria Microscopy quality assurance, Malaria RDT quality assurance through lots of testing with time.
The centre is officially designated as World Health Organisation Malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test verification facility.
It is the only facility in Africa so designated to ensure that malaria diagnostics test that are used in the country are validated and are quality assured.
ANDI centre also does research on malaria, malaria case management, diagnostics and treatment, and on diagnostic implementation.
The centre has the capacity to as it is to provide valuable research, development and training in the entire West African Sub-region.
The centre has close working collaboration with the National Malaria Control Programme and other Malaria programme implementers such as the Society for Family Health, DFID/Malaria, Consortium/SunMAP and USAID. (NAN)
