RSG Vows To Eradicate Malaria In Rivers

The Rivers State Gov

ernment says it has put in place necessary measures aimed at eradicating malaria in the state.

The state Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, stated this in a keynote address at a symposium organised by the state Ministry of Health to mark this year’s World Malaria Day (WMD), which was rescheduled to hold last Thursday at the Ministry of Justice Auditorium.

Amaechi who spoke through the state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sampson Parker, emphasised that the present administration was determined to ensure that malaria and other preventable diseases were prevented in the state.

He pointed out that to achieve this, the state legislature was expected to assist by making laws that support the health development in the state.

Commenting on the theme for this year’s symposium, “Achieving Progress and Impact in Malaria Control, with the slogan “Play Your Part”, the state chief executive charged local government councils to play their part by ensuring that workers salaries were promptly paid and also provide and maintain health facilities in their areas of jurisdiction.

In the same vein, he charged medical doctors who had earlier given an ultimatum to government to implement the consolidated medical salary structure to hold back their action and join the government to ensure quality healthcare in the state.

The commissioner who was represented by spoke through a director in the Ministry, Dr. Claribel Abam, listed some of the achievements of the ministry in the fight against malaria.

He said that aggressive advocacy; communication and social mobilisation were responsible for the increase in morbidity cases and reduction in mortality.

Also speaking, the former Rivers State Representative of World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Augustine Akubue, disclosed that resistance to anti-malarial medicine and insectide, poor utilisatum of malaria commodities provided by government, continuous use of presumptive malaria drugs, weak disease surveillance, monitoring and evaluation as well as lack of implementation of regulatory measures were critical factors militating against the elimination of the disease.

To address this, Dr. Akubue insisted that mechanism should be put in place to avoid emergence of drug resistance, monitor drug efficiency and build capacity in endemic places.

In a goodwill message, the chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Bonas Harry, pledged the association’s support to tackle all medical challenges.

Tonye Nria-Dappa