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The Ugandan Ministry of Health is developing a new strategy that will help the government fight malaria in the country.
As part of the new strategy, the ministry will engage stakeholders including policymakers, medical and health experts, religious institutions and local governments at different levels.
Dr. Jimmy Opiga, head of the National Malaria Control Program at the Ministry of Health, said the government had made great achievements in the fight against HIV / AIDS in the country. The strategy used by the government should be adopted in the fight against malaria in the country.
"We will adopt a new strategy that will involve all actors in the sector in the fight against the disease.We hope that if it is well adopted by the general public, then Uganda will be a malaria-free state", a- he said last week during malaria. symposium in Kampala.
The MAAM (Mbad Action Against Malaria) strategy will replace the current approach used by the Ministry, which technicians say has not been effective in the fight against malaria because it excludes other actors, some of whom are very important, especially when it comes to mobilizing people in the fight against diseases.
"Although the government has developed malaria prevention strategies, our local people have not adopted them often because they were not overwhelmingly mobilized by their local leaders and other leaders. influential such as church and traditional leaders.
With the MAAM strategy, such leaders will be integrated into the system to help the government mobilize local people in the fight against malaria, "said Dr. Opiga.
Speaking at the same event, Dr. Patrick Tusiime, Commissioner for National Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, said the growing incidence of the malaria epidemic in the country had a economic impact on the country's economy, hence the need to unite in concert in order to eliminate the disease.
"Uganda will not achieve middle-income status if the country still suffers from malaria. Let's join our efforts to eradicate the disease. Government alone can not solve the problem without the support of development partners, the private sector and cultural leaders, "he said.
Commenting on the strategy, Santosh Singh, senior national director of Troikaa Pharmaceutical, an India-based pharmaceutical supply company in Uganda, said that for the strategy to be effective, the government needed to invest more resources in developing health infrastructure. and recruit more men. to provide health facilities in the country.
"Infrastructures such as medical laboratories are vital for the treatment of malaria; The government must ensure that laboratories are in place with authentic test kits and qualified personnel to use them. It is not good to put someone under antimalarial treatment when there is no evidence of malaria, "he said.
He added by advising the government to raise public awareness of malaria by stating that the mbad campaign would play a vital role in the behavioral changes that have exposed many Ugandans to malaria.
"The general public can adopt good social behaviors that can limit their chances of suffering from the disease tested in the fight against cancer and HIV / AIDS in the country where a mbadive mobilization on behavioral changes has been made by the government ", did he declare. added.
Malaria remains a big problem
Uganda is responsible for 4% of malaria cases worldwide, making it one of the top five countries responsible for nearly half of the world's malaria cases. The other countries are Nigeria, DRC, Mozambique, India and Congo. That's according to the World Malaria Report published in 2011
Uganda's ranking shows that the disease remains a major problem despite the fact that the government has implemented preventive measures such as the distribution of 24 million mosquito nets in the country, in addition to residual spraying indoors.
BY SAMUEL NABWIISO
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