WHO supports Borno treat malaria, other diseases free at 121 primary health centres
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Borno State Government, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), is to treat malaria and other diseases “free of charge” in the 312 health facilities and primary healthcare centres in the state.
The free treatments of the diseases, including cholera, polio, meningitis, and measles, are measures of eradicating them from the state by 2030.
The free treatments of the six child-killer diseases were announced Monday by the State’s Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Prof. Baba Mallam Gana, to mark World Malaria Day in Maiduguri.
He said that the free treatment initiative, in collaboration with the Federal Government, National Health Insurance Agency (NHIA), and WHO, has targeted the vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, children, migrants, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and refugees.
Highlighting the devastating impact of malaria and other diseases, he said, “Even though our communities are the breeding grounds for mosquitoes, malaria is fuelled by climate change, insecurity, and the humanitarian crisis in IDP camps and host communities.”
Gana, however, sympathised with the families that lost their loved ones to malaria and other diseases, stating, “Since 2010 in Borno state, there was a decline of 20% in malaria cases, with a 25 percent decrease in deaths.
“The commissioner noted that despite the malaria preventive measures, the momentum must be sustained by strengthening partnership with the organised private sector (OPS) to completely eliminate malaria from the state.
The malaria day, themed “Malaria Ends with Us: Reinvest, Reimagine, and Reignite,” was to support the state government in achieving its universal health coverage (UHC) in the next five years, noting that the lost man-hours from the diseases could raise productivity in the various sectors of the economy.
Speaking on the burden of malaria on children and marginalised communities, the state coordinator of WHO, Dr. Ibrahim Salisu, said that the poorest households in sub-Saharan Africa are most likely to contract malaria.
In containing the further spread of malaria, the UN agency Coordinator stated, “Under the State’s Malaria Elimination Programme, we have deployed mobile health teams to hard-to-reach areas, along with the provision of antimalarial drugs and intermittent prophylactic therapy.”
Other preventive measures, he added, include the distribution of insecticide-treated nets for pregnant women.
He said that the capacity building of health workers were also boosted by providing them with technical support for malaria testing and case management. Salisu, therefore, urged stakeholders to overcome the challenges of drug resistance, gaps in funding, and climate change.
“You’re to expand access to life-saving tools, including the next generation nets, vaccines, and chemo prevention,” charged Salisu on eliminating malaria.
Besides the preventive measures, the coordinator added that there should be an increase in domestic investments to promote local innovation in the health sector.
According to him, the 2025 World Malaria Day underscores a collective call to action by political leaders, communities, and health workers to unite in creating a malaria-free country.
