Kwara has received at least 2.3m insecticide nets to be
distributed across 772,648 households in the state — one of the fruits of
the N82m counterpart funds Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq paid in the early
days of his administration last year.
At $4 (N1,400) unit price, the treated nets are worth
at least N3.3bn, aside the 5,000 ad-hoc staff to be engaged and paid to
distribute the nets across the state, according to a statement on Sunday from
the Kwara State Ministry of Health.
The statement quoted the State’s Director of Public
Health Dr Oluwatosin Fakayode as telling reporters in Ilorin, the state
capital, that the nets were supplied by the Global Fund and Partners to support
AbdulRazaq’s anti-malaria campaign in the state.
"One of the strategic directions for the Ministry
of Health under Governor AbdulRazaq is to reduce under-five mortality and
maternal mortality drastically. This is being done to reduce significant causes
of deaths, of which malaria is number one. The delivery of these long-lasting
insecticide nets is to further complement the efforts of the administration to
make the malaria elimination activities successful in the state,” Dr Fakayode
said.
“Last year, the state government launched ‘Malaria Free
Kwara Project’ which was preceded by generous approval and release of N82m as
counterpart funds for anti-malaria activities in the state and this has started
yielding fruits. One of the fruits is the delivery of 2.3m insecticide treated
nets by Global Fund and Partners. The delivery is for mass distribution across
all wards in the state this year.
“The nets will be distributed to all Kwarans and we
will use the strategy of one net to two persons, using the system called Cash
and Assets Transfer Strategy. This strategy will be conducted by the ministry
of health together with our partner, Society for Family Health and technology
will also be deployed in the distribution process across the state. About 5000
ad hoc staff will be engaged for the distribution. I want to assure our people
that wherever you may be, you will get the net to reduce the burden of malaria
in the state and guarantee the survival of our pregnant women and
children.
“As at today, malaria remains the number one cause of
mortality and morbidity in children under five. When you visit our children
emergency wards, three out of every ten beds is malaria. If you visit the
out-patient department, about 60% of that consultation is due to malaria. Even
in private and public sectors, one of the reasons people do not come to work is
malaria. So, malaria is our number one problem. It is our enemy. By the time we
distribute the nets, it will be a cost-effective way of protecting lives
against malaria. This is being done to scale up the Malaria Free Kwara Project
of His Excellency the Governor.”
Fakayode said the distribution network has considered
the outbreak of COVID-19, with adequate PPEs being offered to the team that
would distribute the insecticide treated nets across the state.
He added: “We do not want people to keep dying. We're
in a rainy season which is the peak of malaria season and if nothing is done,
death from COVID-19 will also increase because when we have people with severe
malaria who also have Covid-19, they are likely to die. Again, one of the areas
that the Global Fund and malaria partners looked at was the possibility of
distributing the net under Covid-19 with Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs)
and we have assured them that the government will provide our partners and
workers with PPEs. In fact, that accounts for the successful micro-plan we had
that makes the delivery of nets to us possible. The strategy (of distribution)
will also change. Instead of asking people to pick up the net somewhere, we are
doing house-to-house distribution and each of our volunteers will be trained on
infection prevention and control.”
Fakayode said the administration’s investment in the
health sector and AbdulRazaq’s commitment to funding the sector have led to the
categorisation of Kwara as a state with high political commitment.
“Before now we have had partners exited the state and
even when you attend national events outside the state, others will just look
at Kwara and ask us to go have our seat. Today, the narrative has changed. When
we attend meeting now, our partners are willing to hear from us and we are now
classified as a state with high political commitment,” he said.
“That has endeared a lot of good things to us in the
state. So, partners which had hitherto exited the state are coming back. Now,
they have a lot of trust in the state. You will recall that one of the things
His Excellency did when he came in last year was to prioritise health and he
demonstrated this with the visits to the Federal Ministry of Health and heads
of our partners to let them know the commitment. He also brought action to what
he was saying with the payment of counterpart funds.
“We have gone into all communities and settlements
through our micro-plan to look at how many households will benefit from this
intervention. So, 772,648 households have been identified and with our
strategy, we have more nets to go round all Kwarans. We are working with ward
development associations, community and religious leaders and other
stakeholders to ensure that all households get the net. It will be a disservice
to the good work of the state and generosity of our partners if at the end of
the campaign we have missed settlements. So, we don't want any settlement to be
left out.”
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