Osun ACOMIN Calls On Govt To Provide Functional Malaria Surveillance System
By Richard Akintade, Osogbo
Accountability of Civil Society on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition, ACOMIN Osun state zone has called on the Nigerian government to set up and implement a functional malaria surveillance system to collect data on malaria cases and monitor eradication progress.
This is as it maintained that Malaria can only be eradicated in Nigeria when the government feels committed to it as a national responsibility, adding that Malaria elimination should be seen as a project that demands immediate attention.
This was the summation of Osun ACOMIN under its Chairman, Ambassador Aremu Stephen Akinyele, who made this known at the state media briefing on the Global Fund Malaria Community-Led Monitoring project being Implemented in selected local governments in the state.
According to Ambassador Aremu, Malaria hyper-endemicity is a major public health crisis that requires the Nigerian government’s deliberate and consistent efforts to follow recommended strategies to eliminate and eradicate malaria, as well as save the people from deaths and malaria-associated health consequences.
Reiterating that malaria remains a significant public health challenge in Nigeria, affecting millions of lives annually, he disclosed that a strategic initiative has to be applied to remove obstacles hindering malaria eradication by focusing on robust environmental management.
“Malaria eradication program in Nigeria is faced with several constraints such as poor living environmental conditions, the lack of basic sustainable infrastructures, underfunding of the health structure, limited access to healthcare, program inconsistency, and lack of oversight, political, social and economic structures of Nigeria and the inadequate efforts to educate the public, and lack of access to healthcare, mosquito bites at swampy neighborhood, plus limited and dysfunctional health facilities in some places.
“While lauding ACOMIN for proactiveness, he also commended all its partners and stakeholders, adding that to combat the increasing incidence rate of malaria, urgent actions and collective effort from the public are necessary, this is why as part of the national effort to address the challenges of Malaria in Nigeria, ACOMIN was engaged by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) under the ongoing Global Fund (GF) Malaria Grant to continue implementing the civil society component, building on the successes of the previous phase of the grant.”
“Ambassador Aremu postulated that out of the 13 selected states, Osun state has its beneficiary local governments as Olorunda, Irepodun, Obokun, Boluwaduro, Ilesha West, Iwo, Ejigbo and Egbedore, he emphasized that the Community-Led Monitoring project being implemented by ACOMIN increased ingenuity, flexibility in tackling challenges by identifying and addressing the root cause of failed interventions; and enhanced accountability among others.”
In his remarks, the State Program Officer, SPO Segun David Amoto, highlighted that for year 2023, ACOMIN Osun state recorded successes in the targeted local governments in areas of bridging the Communication, intervention on provisions of amenities such as purchase of electricity prepaid meter through ACOMIN CAT members, maintenances, purchase of herbicide to spray the facilities, surroundings of the facility, purchase of BP apparatus and weigh scale, and restock of malaria-related consumables among others.