The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki has urged for collaboration among stakeholders in the roll back malaria campaign so as to achieve the zero-malaria target.
The governor made the appeal in commemoration of the World Malaria Day, marked every April 25, by the World Health Organisation, to raise awareness on the need to form a strong alliance to fight malaria.
He said, “As we commemorate World Malaria Day, I urge stakeholders to sustain efforts in ensuring Edo residents access quality primary healthcare through the Edo Health Improvement Programme (Edo-HIP) and Edo Health Insurance Scheme (Edo-HIS), as well as other intervention programmes to tackle the menace of malaria in our society.”
The governor noted, “Sustained collaboration among stakeholders is needed to assist the state government deepen advocacy programmes and ensure that the people are fully mobilized to fight malaria.
“On our part as a state government, we will continue with reforms and investment in the health care sector which will enable us to continue to build capacity and provide infrastructure to support the treatment and management of malaria and other ailments.
“Through the Edo Health Improvement Programme, more Edo residents in rural communities across the 18 local governments in the state now have access to quality healthcare services for the treatment of ailments such as malaria in over fifty Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) remodeled to provide quality care to our people.
Obaseki added, “There is also an ongoing enrollment of residents for the Edo Health Insurance Scheme designed to provide all-inclusive, affordable and quality healthcare services for all, irrespective of social condition, economic status and location.
“The ongoing remodeling of more primary healthcare centres and sustained enrollment for health insurance would ensure the gains recorded in the roll back malaria campaign are sustained towards achieving the zero malaria target in the state by the year 2030.”
He said the theme of this year’s Malaria Day, ‘Reaching the zero-malaria target’ is imperative because of the need for community actors and other actors to remain steadfast in their efforts at tackling malaria together, so as to complement the state government intervention programmes in the health sector.”
“With the support of Civil rights groups, professional health associations, multilateral and local partners, more residents can be mobilised to benefit from the Edo Health Improvement Programme and Health Insurance Scheme and thereby sustain the efforts to achieve the zero malaria target,” Obaseki noted.
