“Ghana Stands Ready To Beat Malaria” – President Akufo-Addo
The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the
effective execution of the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Control,
as well as the introduction of other innovative strategies, means that
“Ghana stands ready to beat malaria.”
Speaking at the Malaria
Summit London 2018, on Wednesday, 18th April, 2018, on the sidelines of
the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, President
Akufo-Addo stated noted that the fight against malaria in Ghana is an age-old one.
“According to the Ghana Health Service, malaria tops Out Patient
Department cases, and is responsible for the death of three children,
every day, in the country. Indeed, in 2016, 10.4 million cases of
malaria were recorded in a population of some 30 million people,” he
said.
The President continued, “Although the figure from 2016
represents an improvement over that of 2015, we recognise that a lot of
work has to be done in reducing prevalence of malaria to the barest
minimum.”
Reiterating the “solid, decade-long work and advocacy
undertaken by my fair lady, Rebecca, Ghana’s First Lady, through her
Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation”, the President stated that this
has reinforced his conviction that Ghana’s aim of reducing malaria
morbidity and mortality by 75%, by the year 2020, is attainable.
Ghana’s goal, through the National Strategic Plan for Malaria Control,
he said, is to achieve and sustain near-zero malaria deaths, and,
ultimately, a malaria-free Ghana.
Key interventions of this Plan,
the President outlined, include integrated vector management; malaria
case management, including malaria in pregnancy; integrated community
case management; seasonal malaria chemoprevention; integrated support
systems, including advocacy and behavioural change communication;
surveillance, monitoring and evaluation; and the strengthening of health
systems.
“Additionally, Government is providing tax exemptions
on anti-malarial commodities, adopting measures to deal with
antimalarial drug resistance, and implementing policies to mitigate the
effects of climate change and environmental degradation, that impact on
malaria transmission,” he added.
Ghana’s strategy, the President
told the gathering, is based on innovation, as Ghana is one of the first
countries to adopt the new generation of insecticides for
indoor-residual spraying, as well being one of the three countries
testing the new malaria vaccine.
“I am confident that the
effective execution of this Plan and strategy would mean that Ghana
stands ready to beat Malaria” he concluded.
Source: Wilberforce A. Asare
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