The Kogi state government must spend more than N4Billion on malaria prevention on its health system in the state.
Governor Ahmed Ododo announced this in the launch of a malaria prevention campaign to combat the prevalence of the disease with the distribution of free medications and test kits in the medical care centers in the state.
Speaking at the Government's house in Lokoja, Governor Ododo announced that the distribution of malaria medicines, rapid diagnostic test kits and more than 3 million networks treated with insecticides to health facilities are in line with the commitment of its administration to promote a healthy life and the well -being of the state people.
He stressed that malaria affects everyone and requested collective efforts to eradicate the disease, which said he continues to claim the lives of thousands of people in Nigeria.
The Governor Ododo also highlighted alarming statistics from the 2024 World Malaria Report, which revealed that “Africa represented 94% of the cases of global malaria in 2023, with Nigeria contributing to 30% of the 5,970 registered deaths.
In addition, he pointed out that the prevalence of the malaria of the state of Kogi of 16% exceeds the national objective of less than 10%, which requires an urgent intervention of all interested parties.
The governor emphasized the importance of ensuring that these supplies reach the communities and people for whom they are intended to improve health results, noting that the items are not on sale and any person declared guilty of dividing them will be responsible.
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According to the governor, the intervention, backed by the Islamic Development Bank, includes more than 10,000 cardboard cards against malaria and test kits that contain more than 1 million doses for children and almost 2 million doses for adults, and added that supplies will be distributed to 536 government health centers throughout the State, including primary medical care centers, general hospitals and teaching hospitals.
The governor hate praised health workers in the state for their efforts to improve health results in rural areas, describing them as soldiers fighting diseases in the frontline lines.
He urged traditional rulers, NGOs, religious leaders and other interested parties to join the government to guarantee the success of the initiative.
The governor further reaffirmed the commitment of his administration to strengthen the health sector as a critical pillar of the Kogi state government development agenda under his leadership.
He expressed the confidence that the initiative, together with the Federal Government's health reforms under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would significantly reduce the prevalence of malaria and improve the quality of the lives of people in the state of Kogi.
Previously, the Health Commissioner, Dr. Abdulazeez Adams, emphasized the importance of the malaria prevention program that, according to him, is to ensure that each home has access to malaria test kits, medications, networks treated with insecticides and other measures preventive
He pointed out that the intervention is free and focuses on the commitment of the community, describing it as a comprehensive strategy to combat malaria effectively throughout the state of Kogi.
Nigerian tribe