By Iyemah David
The Federal Government said that Nigeria’s annual economic burden of malaria in 2022, is estimated to be over N687 billion and this is likely to increase to N2 trillion Naira by the year 2030.
The minister of State for Health, Mr Joseph Ekumankama disclosed this at the inauguration of the Nigeria End Malaria Council (NEMC), on Tuesday in Abuja.
Health Reporters reports that the 2021 World Malaria Report (WMR 2021) indicates that Nigeria contributes 27 per cent of the global malaria cases and 32 per cent of global malaria deaths.
The country witnessed a total of 57 million clinical cases per year and annual deaths of about 100,000. It is also estimated that about 60 per cent of all out-patients and 30 per cent of all hospital admissions across the country are due to malaria.
According to Ekumankama, in the first year the country implemented the National Malaria Strategic Plan of 2021 to 2025, we had an estimated deficit of over 150 billion Naira and in 2022, we already have a deficit of over 170 billion Naira.
He said that it is the biggest challenge confronting the country, which prevents the elimination of malaria to ensure a malaria-free nation in the shortest possible time is inadequate finances to fund the National Malaria Strategic Plan.
“Considering this, there is a need for efficient mobilisation of domestic resources and the galvanization of the private sector support for malaria elimination.
“To this end, President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the FMoH to initiate the establishment of the NEMC is both timely and a step in the right direction,” he said.
The minister said that this important council once inaugurated, is expected to, among other things, drive resource mobilization to meet the gaps for this campaign, as well as sustain advocacies and inter-sectoral collaborations including innovative financing and implementation that would further move the country towards malaria elimination.
According to him, NEMC is made up of top government officials, the organized private sector, Captains of Industries, and Religious and non-governmental organizations, who have distinguished themselves in their various fields, with the commitment from the ministry to work together to achieve their terms of reference.
Health Reporters recalled that according to the 2010 Nigeria Malaria Indicator Survey (NMIS 2010), there has been a continuous decline in malaria from 42 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2015.
In the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2018), there was a further decline in malaria cases from 27 per cent to 23 per cent. This decline is believed to have resulted from a thorough programme implementation of the National Malaria Strategic Plan.
The country is currently implementing the National Malaria Strategic Plan of 2021 to 2025, with the intent to achieve a parasite prevalence of less than 10 per cent and reduce mortality attributable to malaria to less than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births by the year 2025.
It will take about 1.89 trillion Naira to implement this five-year plan.
