President Ernest Bai Koroma on Friday launched the United States President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), a $15 million USD health project, at the Bintumani Hotel.
In her statement, the US Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Maria Brewer, said, “We celebrate the new partnership between PMI and the Government of Sierra Leone. With the first year’s planned contribution of $15 million USD, PMI joins other donors and partners to expand access to proven and effective malaria prevention and control tools.”
Adding, the PMI is being led by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented together with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She said in order to save lives and reduce the public health burden, the PMI seeks to work with the health ministry, partners and communities to implement evidence based malaria interventions.
According to Amb. Brewer, by aligning with the Health Ministry’s strategic plan to control malaria, together, Sierra Leone and PMI will have the necessary tools to save lives and decrease the public health burden.
Malaria is a public health challenge that the Government of Sierra Leone, the U.S. Government, and partners are united in fighting. Over 2 million outpatient visits are due to malaria every year in Sierra Leone, of which about a million patients are children under five years of age.
PMI will work together with the Government of Sierra Leone, under Ministry of Health and Sanitation and National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) leadership; and in collaboration with malaria stakeholders, to scale up a comprehensive, integrated package of life-saving interventions in communities. This includes both prevention (insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying) and control (diagnostics and treatment) interventions. PMI support includes mosquito surveillance, malaria case management, monitoring and evaluation of impact, and behaviour change communication activities.
In his statement, President Koroma urged health workers and other stakeholders to stand up against those who tend to put their hard work into a very bad light, and added that health care is a humanitarian service.
“No one should use the health facilities as a business or an income generating centre for the service provider. The call of every health worker is to save lives and not to contribute to any loss of lives by any means,” he said.
Health and Sanitation Minister, Dr. Abu Bakarr Fofanah, stressed that malaria is still the leading cause of illness and deaths in the country. He emphasised that lots more remains to be achieved, as the country is still struggling to meet the Roll Back Malaria targets.
“There are still gaps in all of the key evidence-based interventions that are critical in achieving malaria elimination and eradication.”
BM/18/11/17
By Betty Milton
Monday November 20, 2017.
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