FCTA Secures Over 65,000 Doses Of Preventive Therapy For Pregnant women

By: Prudence Okonna

In its efforts to fight against malaria, the authourities of the Federal Capital Territory Administration in the 2024 operational plan, secured over 65,000 doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for pregnant women.

Accordingly, it is aimed at helping to prevent fetal mortality during pregnancy, as the purchase of the doses is among other key interventions put in place to reduce the burden of Malaria in the FCT.

Programme Manager, Malaria Unit of Public Health Department, Health Services and Environmental Secretariat, FCT, Dr. Dan Gadzama, revealed this during an exclusive interview with the Abuja Digest, as part of the activities to mark 2024 World Malaria Day, in his office, Area 3, Garki I District, Abuja.

Gadzama said that Malaria remains a public health disease that must be addressed squarely; adding that the FCT Administration understands the impact of this disease, hence, the efforts made to reduce fetal mortality by making adequate provision for the free IPTs across health facilities in the nation’s capital.

His words: “FCTA has secured over 65,000 doses of Intermittent Preventive Treatment (IPT) for this year and it is free. This is because Malaria is one of the earlier intrusions in pregnancy, which affects the fetus through the placenta and preventing that from happening is very important”.

According to him, other interventions provided by the FCT Administration to reduce the burden of Malaria in the FCT include Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) targeted at children under five years old and community-based distribution of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs).

Other plans in place to fight against malaria, Gadzama also said that the first batch of the Anti-Malaria Vaccine will be made available to Nigerians by mid-2024; noting that this will go a long way in reducing the burden of Malaria in Nigeria.

He disclosed that the Islamic Development Bank in collaboration with the World Bank and the private sector is set to support the Malaria Elimination Programme through the “Impact Project,” which is an all-encompassing project targeted at vector control through preventive strategies and case management through treatment with implementation to commence by the end of the second quarter, 2024.

Speaking on some of the challenges posed by the Public Health Disease, Gadzama lamented that Nigeria is losing not just financial resources but human capital; emphasizing that the loss of financial resources is because most anti-malaria drugs are purchased internationally while Nigeria loses its human capital due to the mortality rate.

He said that the World Malaria Day commemorated on the 25th of April annually is to remind everyone that Malaria is still a public health concern that needs both local and international support and that the theme for 2024 is “Accelerate the fight against malaria for a more equitable world”.