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Stakeholders chart path to malaria elimination

By Victoria Njoku
28 April 2016   |   3:39 am
Alarmed by the number of deaths caused by malaria, stakeholders have advocated preventive methods and strategic investment in the fight against the disease as the strategy to adopt.....
Country Director, Development Africa, Joshua Kempeneer (left); Apex Chief Nursing Officer, Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mrs. Yussuff Olubunmi; Public Affairs Director, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mrs. Helen Nkwo; and General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Total Exploration and Production company, Dr. Charles Ngiribara, during the Rollback Malaria Outreach Programme to mark 2016 edition of World Malaria Day.

Country Director, Development Africa, Joshua Kempeneer (left); Apex Chief Nursing Officer, Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Mrs. Yussuff Olubunmi; Public Affairs Director, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Mrs. Helen Nkwo; and General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Total Exploration and Production company, Dr. Charles Ngiribara, during the Rollback Malaria Outreach Programme to mark 2016 edition of World Malaria Day.

Alarmed by the number of deaths caused by malaria, stakeholders have advocated preventive methods and strategic investment in the fight against the disease as the strategy to adopt if the goal to end malaria for good by 2030 must be achieved. Besides, they argued that it is less expensive than cure.

They stated that creating awareness about the disease will go a long way in helping the masses prevent and protect themselves from the illness adding that besides keeping clean environment sleeping under treated mosquito nets will reduce malaria cases.

General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainable Development (CSR-SD) Total Exploration and Production Company Nigeria Limited, Dr. Charles Ngiribara; and Country Director, Development Africa (DA), Joshua Kempeener, disclosed this in Lagos during a roll back malaria programme to mark the 2016 World Malaria Day.

According to Ngiribara, “Annually, malaria affects over 300 million people globally and takes the lives of almost a million. This explains why our company is determined to join forces with all stakeholders and other corporate organizations in the fight to end malaria for good in line with the theme of this year’s World Malaria Day.

“Creating awareness goes a long way in helping the masses prevent and protect themselves from the illness and this is the reason for our gathering here. Prevention is our watchword at Total because it is less expensive than cure. We believe that with the corporation of everyone, we can control and prevent this scourge in our ultimate battle to eradicate it completely.”

The Rollback Malaria Outreach programme which held between Tuesday and Thursday last week was jointly organized by Development Africa in partnership with Total Exploration and Production Company and Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics showed that there were 214 million new malaria cases in 2015 and 438 000 deaths caused by malaria worldwide.

Activities that headlined the anti-malaria programme includes free tests and treatment for pregnant women and nursing mothers, capacity building for community health workers in public and private employ, lectures for secondary school students on malaria prevention as well house to house distribution of long lasting insecticide nets in Ilaje and Olomu communities within the LCDA.

During the three-day event, over 100 Rapid Diagnostic Kits (RPD) were donated to primary health centers and community health workers to help with rapid treatment of malaria cases even after the exercise was over.

In his keynote address on the last day of the event Country Director of Development Africa, Joshua Kempeneer, disclosed that the activities were in commemoration of World Malaria Day 2016 with the theme ‘End Malaria for good.’

“The fight against malaria requires strategic investments, continued political will and innovation in the way that we combat the scourge; with this attitude we can eliminate malaria and help future generations achieve their full potential. We must commend the Lagos State Government and Total E&P Nigeria Limited for the continued effort and investment in the fight against malaria.

“Malaria caused 438,000 deaths in 2015 with 90% of them occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. A continued collaboration between public and private sectors is required to achieve Sustainable Development Goals 3; ‘to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases by 2030,’ Kempeneer stated.

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