ABUJA – Senate of the Federal Republic has urged the Federal Ministry of Health to as a matter of urgency, procure sufficient quantity of effective anti-malaria drugs and supply them free of charge to al public health facilities across the country.
They also urged the Federal Government to embark on mass mobilization that will provide adeqquate information to all Nigerians on how to take appropriate and effective malaria preventive and treatment measures.
Furthermore, the Senate urged the Federal Ministry of Health (FMH) to effectively partner with States and Local Government Authorities and Development Partners with a view to scaling up Integrated Vector Management Control as well as, streamline all malaria programmes accross the country.
They also urged the FG to increase annual funding of FMH that will meet the “Abuja Declaration” by AU in 2001, and ensure full implementation of the National Health Act 2014 and the one per cent Consolidated Revenue Fund provision for the take off of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund.
The resolutions followed a motion: “The Alarming Upsurge of Malaria Incidence” by Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (Kano Central) yesterday.
The Senate was concerned that in recent times, incidence of malaria outbreak has increased exponetially in Nigeria.
According to the Senate, 97 per cent of Nigerian population is at the risk of being infected with malaria parasite, while Nigerian Institute of Medical Research reported that 50 million people tested positive annually.
The senators were also convinced that the main bane of healthcare delivery in Nigeria is due to:
Collapse of public sanitation institutions due to neglect by States and Local Government Councils;
Breakdown of public health infrastructure that has led to the absence of vector control programmes arising from the apparent abandonment Federal Epidemiology unit;
Decline in annual budgetary provisions in the funding of the health sector;
Poor efficacy of anti-malaria drugs due to prevalence of fake drugs has also led to the virus developing resistance; and
Lack of implementation and enforcement of urban planning regulations, which has led to increase of shanties and slums that harbor mosquitoes and other injurius pests and disease vectors.
