Project empowers stakeholders to invest in malaria prevention
The Ga West Municipality Health Directorate in the Greater Accra Region recorded 29,963 malaria cases at the Out Patient Departments (OPD) in 2016.
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The figure which represents 22 per cent of all OPD cases in the municipality for 2016, showed a jump over the previous year’s figure of 28,675 cases.
To control the incidence of the disease in the municipality and other areas of the country, three consortiums led by the Hope For Future Generation (HFFG) have begun the implementation of a one-year project, dubbed: “Advocacy for Resources for Malaria Stoppage (ARMS)”.
The project, which is being sponsorsed by the UKAID, and would ensure increased diagnosis before treatment, increased local government funding for malaria activities and reduction of malaria cases, is also being implemented in the Volta, Western and the Brong Ahafo regions.
The project is expected to form partnerships with key stakeholders to assist in mobilising local resources for malaria activities.
The Project
Under the implementation of the project, Municipal Malaria Advocacy Groups (MMAG) and District Malaria Advocacy Groups (DMAG) have been formed and members have been trained to enable them to play a vital role in the mobilisation of local resources for malaria activities.
It is also expected that the members would understand the initiative and ensure ownership of the programme.
According to the Ghana Health Service (GHS) the prevalence rate of malaria is declining owing to the free distribution of long lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets.
The service indicated that in-patient death cases of malaria nationwide dropped from 3,259 in 2011 to 2,815 in 2012.
Also malaria deaths among children under five years dropped from 2,815 in 2011 to 1,539 in 2012, whereas death among pregnant women due to malaria was 918 in 2011 dropped to 476 in 2012.
The GHS half year report revealed that from January to June 2016, the country recorded 2,029,162 confirmed OPD malaria cases, representing 41.1 per cent and also recorded 685 deaths, which represents 4.3 per cent.
In the same half year of 2016, the GHS recorded 290 under-five deaths as compared to 385 in the same period of 2015.
HFFG
The Executive Director of the HFFG, said her outfit had for the past two years embarked on a Behavioural Change Communication (BCC) project on malaria advocacy and sensitisation which aimed at reducing malaria to the barest minimum.
She said malaria affected all persons but children under five years of age and pregnant women were the most vulnerable.
Contributions
An Executive Member of the MMAG in the Ga West Municipality and the Assembly Man for Manhean Electoral Area, Mr Malik Abass, said a total reduction of malaria cases in the municipality remained a key issue on the agenda of the group.
He stressed that even as the project was coming to an end soon, the group would ensure the sustainability of the project in order to ensure a municipality free of malaria.
According to Mr Abass, assembly members, traditional leaders and the health directorate in the municipality are alarmed with the high cases of malaria in the municipality.
He was of the view that the ARMS initiative by HFFG and UKAID was an opportunity to collaborate effectively to fight and ensure a malaria free municipality, which has been their motivation for coming together to form a strong leadership to champion the common goal.
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