Date: 2019-08-30

The Kwara Government has released N82 million for Malaria-Free Kwara Initiative (MFKI) expected to start across the state on Friday, August 30.

Dr Rhoda Ajiboye, the Permanent Secretary, state Ministry of Health, made this known on Thursday at a news conference ahead of commence the initiative.

She said arrangements were in place to start free testing and treatment of Malaria for pregnant women and children under five years of age across the 16 local government areas(LGAs) in the state.

Ajiboye said that the government had set up 504 health facilities in all the LGAs to provide free health care for pregnant women and children.

She further said that an additional 35 secondary healthcare facilities will also be equipped with malaria commodities through the initiative.

According to Ajiboye, state's Polytechnic, College of Education, Oro and College of Education, Ilorin and Lafiagi, are among the higher institutions of learning in the state that will participate in the exercise of controlling malaria.

"Malaria has become so endemic, especially in the rural areas of the state, which calls for the idea of the Malaria-free Kwara initiative.

"This initiative is not meant to be a jamboree but to draw attention of our people to the menace of malaria and the grave consequences it has on the health of the people," she said.

The permanent secretary observed that the people of Kwara North were more prone to the disease, saying that the initiative will target such an area to ensure that people are sensitised to the use of Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN).

She said the ministry will collaborate with the state Ministry of Environment to ensure that people adopt optimum hygiene in their surroundings.

Ajiboye added that the anopheles-female mosquitoes that infect people with malaria breed in a dirty environment.

Also, Alhaji Abdullahi Nageri, Programme Manager on Malaria Control in Kwara, explained that the counterpart funds released by Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq had opened many doors for more funding from international donor partners.

He noted that everything is in place to ensure that people benefit from the malaria-free Kwara initiatives, adding that there is a lot of misconception about the LLIN and its usage.

Nageri explained that Kwara North are more prone to malaria due to misconception as some fishermen covert the nets to fishing rather than to sleep in.