By: Rachel Kakraba
Director General of the Ghana Health Service, (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye is calling for the support of all Ghanaians especially Corporate Ghana and traditional leaders to lead efforts at raising needed resources in the fight against malaria.
He said donor support continues to dwindle which brings some level of uncertainties for future donor support. This he added, is a reason to intensify efforts for domestic resource mobilization.
“International funding towards the fight against malaria is dwindling with uncertainties regarding extent of future funding support. We thus need to intensify efforts for domestic resource mobilization and with this, private sector engagements and involvement in implementation of malaria interventions need to be heightened. This is paramount in addressing the funding gap for indoor residual spraying, Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention, SMC, Insecticide Treated Net campaigns and expansion of RTSS malaria vaccine”
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye, was speaking at this year’s World Malaria Day celebration in Accra.
He said in the face of dwindling donor support, it is important for traditional leaders to rally citizens to put to good use all resources channeled into malaria elimination.
“I will plead with you Nana Chair to use his high office as president of National House of Chiefs to mobilize traditional leaders to encourage their community members to fully support and promote all malaria interventions in their communities”
He said the prosperity and progress of any country depends on the health and productivity of its workforce, a reason Ghana cannot relent in eliminating malaria which is the number one condition seen at Outpatient Departments (OPD) across the country.
He added “The world is looking up to us to deliver zero malaria, by investing, innovating and implementing all the elimination strategies”
Media Personality and malaria champion Oheneyere Gifty Anti, called for intensified education on malaria which she said must be focused on a change of mindset. She pledged her commitment to support malaria elimination initiatives and encouraged the private sector to come on board to ensure implementation of malaria elimination strategies.
“I would like to call on and urge our private sector partners to intensify commitment especially in resource mobilization, to ensure the full implementation of malaria elimination strategies”.
She added “We must work together through innovative initiatives to reduce the unnecessary cases and deaths attributable to malaria and ultimately improve the wellbeing of citizens”.
