By Correspondent in Minna
Civil Society Working on Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has expressed concern over wrong use and abuse of treated mosquito nets from Global Funds and other Partners.
It, therefore, described the development as some of the factors responsible for the inability of the state government to bring Malaria and related ailments affecting rural dwellers in parts of Niger state under control.
The State Coordinator,Association, (ACOMIN), Mr. Olasunkanmi Kalejaiye, stated this at the one day stakeholders’ meeting/briefing of journalists on efforts by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to improve health care in rural areas of the state.
He added that while most communities in the area had access to mosquito nets, courtesy of Global Funds and Partners, “it is however surprising that instead of using it to protect themselves against malaria parasites, they use the facility to cover their farms, gardens and as curtains for their rooms.”
Most of the PHCDA are in deplorable condition and under staffed, this has made it impossible for the locals to be enlightened on how not to use the long lasting insecticide nets from the donor agencies.
“The situation is further compounded by, Inadequate human resources due to non-employment of qualified medical personnel and non-allocation of resources and specific budget for malaria interventions at the Local Government level caused by low political will,”he noted.
Kalejaiye further told journalists at Gidan-Matasa, Minna, venue of the meeting, that ACOMIN, working in close collaboration with Niger state Ministry of Health, Malaria Elimination Programme, Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA) and Roll Back Malaria project had also discovered that poor also compounded the problem.
“To achieve better results in the the project, several challenges such as; misuse of the long lasting insecticide nets purchased with huge resources from Global Funds and other Partners and dilapidated or abandoned health facilities should be addressed,”he said.
Kalejaiye,who also expressed concern over spate of insecurity impeding the actualization of the aims and objectives of the project to an end to malaria, solicited the support and cooperation of journalists in the fight against the disease.
He said this they could do by amplifying the need for increased funding of malaria interventions by all tiers of government in their reportage of health issues in the state.
Also speaking, Alhaji Dangana Abubarkar, representing the Ward Head of Chanchaga Local Government Area,commended ACOMIN and other Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for championing the cause of the masses, particularly rural dwellers, on issues concerning their health wellbeing.
