From Joseph Asegba, Yola
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) under the aegis of ACOMIN has disclosed some factors leading to the failure of Nigeria to eliminate Malaria in 2022.
The Program Manager of ACOMIN, Mrs Lawreta Charles disclosed this to journalists in Yola, Adamawa state during the state media meeting on the global fund Malaria community-led monitoring project being implemented by ACOMIN.
She said the Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) has been implementing projects on malaria, immunization and nutrition in Nigeria since 2010. It is based on its non-political, non-sectarian, and non-profit status it has become a strong platform for coordinating the activities of over 1200 NGOs/CBOs in the thematic areas stated above. ACOMIN, alongside other global and national stakeholders, under the leadership of the Government of Nigeria at all levels is now increasingly focusing on eliminating malaria, owing to the severity of the problem.
She noted, “According to the World Malaria Report 2022, Nigeria accounted for approximately 27% of the global malaria burden in 2021 and 31% of the estimated malaria deaths worldwide. The WHO estimates that severe malaria caused 194,000 deaths in 2021, with about 80% of these fatalities occurring in children under five. The high incidence of malaria cases in Nigeria calls for sustained engagement by relevant stakeholders. Following the successful completion of the NFM 3 Malaria Grant, Global Fund has approved another three-year Malaria Grant for Nigeria, led by the National Malaria Elimination Programme and Catholic Relief Services.”
“ACOMIN component focuses on community-led monitoring the objectives of improving the availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability and quality of healthcare services, educating community leaders and members on identifying gaps, utilizing data for advocacy at various levels while promoting community participation and ownership of health care.
“The implementation of the grant is ongoing in (13) states namely Ogun, Delta, Osun, Kaduna, Kano, Kwara, Gombe, Yobe, Katsina, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, and Jigawa states. ACOMIN component covers 130 LGAs, 260 wards, and 260 health facilities across all 13 states. In the bid to promote and achieve improved malaria and health outcomes within Nigerian communities.
“ACOMIN recognizes the importance of the Primary Healthcare System and thus has focused attention on factors that facilitate effectiveness at that level. Effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and support services for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis (TB) and others are crucial, especially for vulnerable populations and those in remote or underserved areas.
“However, our community-led monitoring activities indicate that some challenges that hinder effective service provision still subsist. These challenges include inadequate staffing, equipment shortages, regular stockouts of medical supplies, and high treatment costs. The shortage of human resources at the facilities places a heavy burden on the existing staff, leading to burnout and reduced efficiency in healthcare delivery.
The PM, further explained “Also, it has been seen that accurate and timely documentation is essential for effective healthcare delivery, but, due to limited staff, documentation often takes a back seat to immediate patient care needs, leading to incomplete, inconsistent, and sometimes inaccurate records. Poor record keeping and documentation in turn directly impact inventory management, it hinders the ability to track patient history, monitor health trends, keep inventory of medical supplies and make informed decisions on healthcare interventions.”
Without precise records of supplies and usage, forecasting needs becomes challenging, leading to frequent stockouts of essential medicines and medical supplies. This disrupts the continuum of care hampers the delivery of healthcare services and can have dire consequences for patients, especially those requiring regular medication. Challenges and problems that arise from inadequacy of staffing at the PHCs having been established above, it is important to state that the communities and their leadership can and do play significant positive roles in resolving these problems, she said.
Approaching the fight against malaria through community-centred initiatives – such as the Community-Led Monitoring project being implemented by ACOMIN – brings many advantages. These include increased ingenuity, flexibility in tackling challenges by identifying and addressing the root cause of failed interventions; and enhanced accountability among others. In Adamawa state, the community-led Monitoring project being implemented by ACOMIN has yielded the following successes this year, increased community commitment to health and other community developmental affairs. Increased infrastructural development in ACOMIN implementing Primary Health facilities across the state.
“The Integration of reliable community stakeholders like District Heads, religious leaders, traditional title holders, community youths and other community stakeholders into project ownership. Call to Action. Addressing the Barriers to Malaria elimination to achieve progress in the journey towards the elimination of malaria, we as a people under the leadership of our governments at national, state and local levels should implement a combination of measures that include prevention strategies, improved access to diagnostics and treatment, health education and promotion and community partnership,” she revealed.
Charles emphasized that “To actualize the above, we call on governments, the private sector, stakeholders, and especially community leaders to commit to the following at their respective levels and areas of influence, improve funding and resources for primary health care delivery to enable a robust public health program at the community level.”
“Every LGA should commit to health promotion and education programs to increase awareness of prevention measures and promote community participation and adherence to evidence-based strategies. Community members should actively support and advocate for their local Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs). Community involvement is crucial in ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of these centres.”
She, therefore, called that, additionally, community support should manifest through volunteering, donating resources, or participating in advocacy efforts to secure increased funding and resources for PHCs. When we are persistent, strategic and scientific in our approach, we will significantly move forward in our collective journey towards the elimination of malaria.
Participants who spoke after the briefing, Saminu Adamu a program manager at Gariga Foundation noted that the community has a role to play by complying with the awareness and sensitization and therefore called on community and religious leaders to ensure the importance of treated Mosquito nets they are not meant for fishing and farm cages.
Adamu commended Gov Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri for the reintroduction of Monthly sanitation and that he should also introduce fumigation of streets, culverts etc as it used to be in the 1980s.
Haruna Bulama is a Community Healthcare that calls on Women not to relent in keeping their environment clean and charges the public to go for Malaria shakeups, not self-medication instead of malaria they treat different ailments, and command the government for their support and more needs it’s raining season.
On his part, Bishop Ramson Stephen called on the public that treatment of Malaria is free which is why the sensitization is ongoing, there is a need for more manpower in healthcare, and the community should have the habit of keeping their environment clean drinking good water should be one their priorities to be free from Malaria. Advised that in meetings of this kind, the government should be in attendance for more support.
