Malabag: Recognise malaria impact

 By ELIZABETH MIAE

POLITICIANS have been challenged to recognise the impact of malaria on the people and take action. 

Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Michael Malabag issued the challenge when giving an address during the World Malaria Day commemoration at Hanubada in Port Moresby last Thursday.

“Make malaria control more prominent. We can all make a difference,” was his main message to political leaders. 

“The government as a member of the United Nations and World Health Assembly has made a commitment to meet the millennium development goals (MDG) and controlling malaria will have a major impact on achieving the MDGs.”

Malabag said malaria was one of the government’s priority diseases that it had taken measures to address apart from HIV/AIDS and TB (tuberculosis).

He said they had realised the impact of malaria on lives as it was one of the leading causes of illness and deaths in the country.

“Over the past three decades the national malaria control programme (NMCP) has not been given the prominence it enjoyed during the earlier eradication era from the 1950s.

“Papua New Guineans must ask the question, why has this happened when this single disease affects up to 90% of our people?”

Malabag reflected on the achievements made by the government and its key partners on the progress and outcome under the NMCP. 

He agreed with World Health Organisation country representative Dr William Adu-Krow that although the results were encouraging, they needed to maintain that effort to reduce the burden and achieve elimination.

He said concentrated efforts on high health impact diseases would help to improve the country’s health indicators.

“I believe that controlling malaria will have a positive impact on other health outcomes and status of our people,” he said.