| Major pledge to help Africa fight malaria | Send to a friend |
| Wednesday, 05 May 2010 23:20 |
 By Peter NyanjeGlobal stakeholders meeting in Dar es Salaam under the auspices of the World Economic Forum (WEF) yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to help Africa fight malaria. Seven panelists joined President Jakaya Kikwete at a press conference and insisted that it is time now the private sector embarks seriously on committing itself to the war against the number one killer disease. They observed that after politicians have provided the leadership needed to tackle the pandemic, the private sector should now take its appropriate seat against the battle. President Jakaya Kikwete, who is also the current leader of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), said though it is only months since the alliance was established in November last year, there are a number of achievements which have been recorded He noted, for instance, that through the use of three interventions- treatment, prevention and attacking of the vectors, Zanzibar has been able to reduce malaria prevalence tremendously. “Through assistance from a number of partners Zanzibar has been able to reduce malaria prevalence from between 30 and 40 per cent to less than one per cent now… we, on the mainland, are going to capitalise on that to ensure that we also eliminate malaria,” he told the press conference which was also addressed by a number of global partners in the war against malaria. Those in attendance as panelists along with President Kikwete were Timoth Ziemer, head of the US President’s Malaria Initiative, Olivier Raynaud, a senior director of global health and healthcare sector of WEF, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, the UN special ambassador on malaria and United Against Malaria (UAM) champion as well as Raymond Chambers, the UN Secretary General’s special envoy for malaria. Others included Ms Nozipho Januari-Bardill, the MTN group executive for corporate, Johann Koss, the seven-time Olympic medalist and the president and CEO of Right to Play, Joy Phumaphi, the ALMA executive secretary and Clive Tasker, the Standard Chartered Bank Africa chief executive. Stressing the need for private sector intervention, Mr Raynaud noted that investment in fighting malaria was a sound investment for the private sector because the disease was a challenge to economic gains. “No one is excluded from taking part in initiatives to fight malaria… if the private sector wants to make good investment it should invest in the war against malaria. It has the role to play and I am sure that it is ready and willing to play that role,” he said. In her remarks, Ms Yvone Chaka Chaka commended President Kikwete and the minister for Health and Social Welfare, Prof David Mwakyusa, for what they have been doing to combat malaria in the country. “I went to Mtwara yesterday to see what progress has been made in the war because I promised to go back after my first trip. There are challenges still, but there is progress which has been made… the minister for Heath is a wonderful man and the regional commissioner down there is doing a wonderful job,” she said. However, she asked President Kikwete to ensure that the target of setting aside 15 per cent of the national budget was met in order to facilitate various interventions in the management of public health. President Kikete told her that Tanzania was heading towards achieving that goal as currently the budget for health was mote than one per cent of the national budget. “Yes, you are doing fine but a country like Rwanda has already exceeded the target as it has set aside 17 per cent of its national budget for health… so keep it up Mr President,” said Africa’s top singer. She insisted that Africa should not give up on the war against the disease which kills more people than other diseases. On the suggestion of using DDT to eliminate malaria, President Kikwete said while the debate on its implications has been going on, African countries have opted to use another acceptable drug. “We know that Indoor Residual Spraying is effective in combating malaria, but this method has to be applied concurrently with other interventions as there are people who suffer from malaria already… we can’t ignore them,” he said. For his part, Mr Ziemer commended Tanzania for showing leadership and commitment in the war against malaria. He promised that the US would continue to set aside substantial financial resources to help the course. “Tanzania was the first African country to abolish taxes and tariffs on malaria drugs and prevention facilities,” he said, noting that the move helped very much to attract assistance from the private sector. Mr Chamber said the coming together of various countries in Africa to fight against malaria collectively makes lot of economic sense as they are now able to undertake bulk purchases, a move hat has reduced costs. Mr Koss said Right To Play was now concentrating on teaching children to be educators as they also have a potential to fight against the disease. Malaria is one of the most serious economic burdens to Africa as it is estimated that it costs $12 billion each year in direct economic losses, apart from killing a child every 30 seconds. Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
