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By Blessing Odega
The Plateau Government has 406 Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) that
offer free malaria diagnosis and treatment, Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Ndam, said.
He made this known in Jos on Thursday at an event to mark 2023 World Malaria Day (WMD).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that WMD is an international observance commemorated every
year on April 25 to raise awareness about the malaria scourge and highligh efforts toward controlling and
eliminating the disease.
Ndam, therefore, said that state government, in collaboration with partners in the fight against malaria,
is in the process of including 90 private health facilities to provide free malaria diagnosis and treatment.
The commissioner added that in 2022, the state’s Ministry of Health received malaria drugs and injectables
from its partners worth N294,346,644.
He also said that seven Olympus microscopes and other laboratory equipment worth N30,000,000
were given to the ministry by its implementing partners.
He further said that most secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities were given free artesunate injections for the treatment of severe malaria cases.
The commissioner revealed that the state, in collaboration with some partners, would soon commence the distribution of 30,000,000
insecticidal treated mosquito nets to the populace.
According to him, the state’s Ministry of Health has identified surveillance as an innovative tool for the eradication of malaria
and currently working closely with University of Jos Disease Surveillance Centre.
He commended the state’s implementing partners for the support, through the provision of various commodities for the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
Earlier, Prof. David Shwe, a Consultant in Peadiatric Infectious Diseases and Neonatal Medicine, said malaria vaccine had been seen to be efficacious.
He called on the Federal Government to invest in acquiring the vaccine to reduce the disease.
(NAN)
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