Nadowli, (U/W), March 9, GNA - Mr. Emmanuel Fiagbey, Country Director, Johns Hopkins' Voices Project, has called on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to consider increasing their budgetary support for malaria control advocacy programmes from the current 0.5 per cent to about 2.0 per cent or more. This he noted would enable health staff to roll out effective malaria control messages and programmes to educate the public on the prevention and treatment of malaria to create a malaria-free society. Mr. Fiagbey made the call over the weekend at a special malaria control forum held at Nadowli in the Nadowli District of the Upper West Region.

The forum which was organised by Johns Hopkins University Centre for Communications was attended by both public and private health staff, including the District Health Directorate, heads of decentralised departments, Religious Leaders as well as Heads of Senior High Schools.

Mr. Fiagbey said the goal of the forum was to increase knowledge of leadership at all levels in the district on the need for improved support for malaria programming.

This, he noted, would lead to the active involvement of all in the implementation of malaria control actions and the ultimate achievement of a malaria-free district.

On specific objectives of the forum, Mr. Fiagbey said it was to review and assess the Malaria control interventions which were being implemented in the district in order to improve its effectiveness. It is also to identify key challenges to effective prevention and treatment of malaria in the district by creating the appropriate response and lastly to improve on the capacity of the District Health Committee to operate as a District Malaria Advocacy Team (DMAT). The Country Director advised the DMAT to among other things promote the effective implementation of the national malaria control policies such as the drug policy, the Integrated Malaria Vector control policy and the malaria in pregnancy policy in the district. Mr. Fiagbey recommended the use of the Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) for the prevention of malaria and the new malaria drug, Artemisin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria.

Madam Florence Ansongmwini, the Nadowli District Director of Health Services, said malaria was the leading cause of all diseases reported at health facilities in the district, accounting for about 38 per cent deaths in the district. She said last year about 30 people died out of malaria at the district health facilities out of which 17 were children under five years.

She said over the last three years, malaria cases recorded at the Out Patient Departments (OPD) had been on the increase. Madam Ansongwmini called for more education, effective collaboration between stakeholders and more capacity building for health staff and community volunteers. 9 March 11