By Adama Makasuba
The Gambia National Malaria Control Program under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare recently published its 2017 malaria indication survey, held at Djembe hotel in Kololi.
A joint survey conducted by Gambia Bureau of Statistic and UTICA Organization in collaboration with National Malaria Control Program, aims to provide population-based estimates on malaria indicators including malaria prevention, knowledge and prevalence to inform strategic planning and evaluation.
The survey indicated The Gambia have had made a significance progress in controlling malaria in the sub-region with 0.4%.
It is to measure the coverage of malaria intervention including household insecticide and household treated insecticide, especially children under 5 and pregnant, the survey says.
Deputy permanent secretary of Gambia’s ministry of health and social welfare, Karamba Keita, said the survey was to measure progress towards archiving the goals and targets set in the malaria strategic plan for malaria prevention and control-2014-2020.
Mr. Keita said: “As a ministry we are very proud to be associated with all the partners who have contributed immensely towards the successful completion of this very important study. In the implementation process to archive malaria frees Gambia.”
Momodou Kalleh, monitoring and evaluation specialist at ministry of health, says the health ministry aims 80% of Gambian population to be preventing themselves while urges pregnant mothers to go to the hospitals and get their drugs for malaria prevention.
Mr. Kalleh said: “When malaria became a public health problem it means of all the attendance at the clinics almost 78% are due to malaria of all the death, about 80% are due to malaria.”
He called for help through funds to continue the process as he says National Malaria Control Program is currently spraying two provincial regions of The Gambia-Upper River Region and Central River Region, adding “if funds is available we will do it all over the country.”
Muhammed Ayad, director of UTICA Organization, says despite the progress made by The Gambia in controlling malaria, warns the health ministry to seek funds and continue implementing such survey in the country.
“The result shows that The Gambia made a significance transition in terms of controlling malaria it has to be sustained; sustainability will be the big challenges for the malaria program. Ministry of health should seek fund to continue the survey in the country. You have to be careful for the future,” he said.
A statistician at Gambia Bureau of Statistic, Alieu Saho, says Gambia Bureau of Statistic mandate is to provide numbers and the numbers being use by program managers to see what they have been doing over the years in term of such targets in related to malaria.
