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Momodou
Denmark
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 Posted - 23 Apr 2008 : 20:44:15
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Government Urged to Increase Health Budget
By Amie Sanneh
The Deputy Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), Adam Jagne Sonko, has stressed the need for the Health budget to be increased to secure adequate anti malarial drugs.
Mrs. Jagne Sonko made these remarks on Monday, at a press briefing, held at their office on World Malaria Day commemorated every year on April 25. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Malaria a Disease without Borders”, and the accompanying slogan is “unite to combat malaria”.
Mrs Jagne Sonko said Malaria must be viewed as a development priority and must be tackled at every level and at every opportunity. She also stressed the need for the strengthening of the health systems to adequately cope with the change in drug quality control, pharmacology vigilance, procurement and distributions system, surveillance and many others.
She said that the Gambia has received approval for two malaria grants from the global fund..
On the challenges they are facing in the Roll Back Malaria Campaign (RBM), Madam Jagne Sonko noted the increasing parasite resistance to drugs and insecticides. She also lamented the high cost of Atemisinin combination.
“High attrition of trained health staff from public health facilities and weak health systems to adequately cope with the anticipated changes is also a challenge to them,” she said.
Malaria she added is a major public health burden of which 300 to 500 million people suffer annually. Over one million deaths occur annually with vast majority of cases and deaths occurring in Africa (90%) said Madam Jagne Sonko.
Also speaking at the briefing, the WHO representative Dr. Nestor Shivute said Africa Malaria Day was first decided upon by the WHO regional office for Africa ten years ago and was last year adopted by the whole of WHO as World Malaria Day.
He said on this day, they dedicate themselves to scale up malaria control measures until malaria is eliminated and finally eradicated.
The Communication Officer at Unic office, Jegan Grey Johnson, speaking on behalf of the UNICEF Representative, said that out of 44 countries, The Gambia is the only country that is likely to achieve the Abuja Declaration target.
He, however, said that key challenges still remain in the fight against the world’s biggest killer, which consumes 800,000 children every year with half a billion contracting it in the same period.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 47/2008, 23 – 24 April 2008
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