Malaria No More brings together key stakeholders to develop comprehensive malaria elimination strategy for Assam
Guwahati, April 13, 2023 : Malaria No More (MNM) in collaboration with the National Vector Borne Disease Co ntrol Programme (NVBDCP), Assam organized a workshop to deliberate on malaria elimination strategies for th e state. The workshop engaged with key health officers, both from the Regional Office of Health and Family Wel fare and the State Health Department of Assam. The goal of the workshop was to develop a state-specific malar ia elimination strategy, in collaboration with the state government, and help reduce the burden of the disease in Assam while strengthening the efforts towards malaria elimination.
Malaria continues to pose a public health challenge across the tribal belts and rural communities of Assam. Desp ite progress in reducing malaria’s burden in the state, there is still much work to be done to achieve the goal of m alaria elimination.
The workshop took a holistic approach in its execution and focused on a range of themes linked to malaria elimin ation. These included assessing the preparedness for elimination in the state, re-aligning strategies from control to elimination, the need for improved surveillance and case management, the use of innovative tools and techno logies, integration of improved data collection and management tools, and the importance of community engage ment and social behaviour change interventions. The Director Health Services, Govt. of Assam along with Mr. Pr atik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More enlisted a comprehensive way forward for crafting “State and Di strict Specific Malaria Elimination Plans”.
Addressing the workshop, Dr. M.S. Lakshmi Priya, IAS, Mission Director, National Health Mission Assam said “To achieve malaria elimination in the state of Assam, surveillance and treatment compliance need to be robust. The most im portant person for any health program is the last patient suffering with the disease, identifying and treating them is criti cal to achieve elimination. We are in the business of saving lives and improving the quality of life for future generations. I am glad Malaria No More India has offered support to the Government of Assam for this endeavor – their experience of supporting other states with their respective malaria programs is reassuring and instills confidence.”
Mr. Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India; commenting on the workshop said, “The workshop was success ful in deliberating and laying a roadmap for the development of a targeted state and district specific malaria elimination plans for th e state of Assam. Building on our experience of supporting elimin ation efforts in the state of Odis ha, we hope to similarly collabora te and support the state of Assam in building robust mechanisms and strategies to help the state achieve this ambition and move our country one step closer to a Malaria Mukt Bharat.”
The workshop resulted in laying the foundations for the development of a comprehensive and targeted strategy to eliminate malaria in Assam, which included earmarked interventions to reduce the burden of the disease, incr eased investment in malaria research, and improved community engagement. The workshop also emphasizes th e need for collaboration between diverse stakeholders such as civil society, private sector, industry, global phila nthropies, and so on to ensure the success of malaria elimination efforts in the state.
About Malaria No More:
Malaria No More (MNM) envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite. To support India’s historic dr ive to eliminate malaria by 2030, MNM India is working with partners at the national level to mobilize the nec es sary political will, funding, and innovation. MNM India’s Strategic Support Unit also works at the state level, pro viding technical management support to the malaria programme in Odisha, once India’s state with the highest b urden of malaria.
