Group seeks support of religious, community leaders in malaria eradication

Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunisation and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has called for an increased community and religious leaders’ involvement in the efforts to eradicate Malaria in the country.

Speaking at a media parley in Abuja, National Coordinator of ACOMIN, Mr. Ayo Ipinmoye, noted that despite the health damage malaria has caused, the country can still boast of a malaria free nation if the right things are done and stressed the need for increased funding and investment in health by governments at all levels.

He said that ACOMIN is taking malaria commodities to hard-to-reach areas as people in such areas get denied of, or go through difficulty to access health services, leading to unnecessary morbidity and mortality in regions like that.

Ipinmoye observed that in order to reduce the difficulties, suffering and deaths caused by malaria in these places, ACOMIN has taken malaria interventions to Kaboji community in Niger State; Chambaji community in Yola South LGA, Adamawa State and some other communities in Yobe and Gombe states.
Other successes

He said, ‘’In Ubandawaki community of Daura Local Government Area (LGA), Katsina State, it was discovered that two Primary Healtcare Centres (PHCs) that were listed as part of the Global Fund (GF) supported facilities and had been receiving malaria commodities for a long time, were in fact, non-existent, whereas the clinic that did exist was somehow not on the list. The non- existing clinics have been part of GF beneficiaries for long but there are no records to prove this. The existing health facility has deteriorated due to years of being deprived of support services. A recommendation has been put forward for a review of this list to be carried out.”

Ipinmoye noted that as part of national effort to address the challenges of malaria in Nigeria, ACOMIN has been engaged by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) under the ongoing Global Fund (GF) Malaria Grant to implement the civil society component. The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) under this grant are focused on accountability and advocacy.

According to him, ‘’The project is being implemented in the 13 GF supported states of Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, Kwara, Niger, Taraba, Gombe, Yobe, Adamawa, Ogun, Osun and Delta States.