By SOLA OGUNDIPE & CHIOMA OBINNA
AT least 30 million treatment courses of affordable malaria treatment drugs are being expected in the country before the end of the year.

The Global Fund, Programme Officer of the National Malaria Control Programme, NMCP, Dr Omede Ogu who dropped the hint in Lagos, said the huge consignment of malaria treatment courses is being brought in to boost control and prevention efforts, ensuring sustainability as well as making  the products available for more Nigerians.

Ogu who spke during the 2012 Malaria Day dinner organised by the Federal Ministry of Health said the first line buyers should the pilot facility could not go beyond three years.

His words: “The country is currently looking at a way where the National Programme will collaborate with other states that have benefited so far under the AMFM to work with their government, provide money under their regular annual budget that could contribute for the procurement of these drugs and distribute to beneficiaries at point of service for use.”

Expressing optimism that the strategy would ensure sustainability as well as reduce prices of drugs he further debunked claims in some quarters that the AMFM facility has not done well, declaring that the programme has achieved enough in Nigeria.

Describing the pilot programme as “Child of circumstance”, Ogu said:”Right from the implementation stage, they have been confronted with persistent intervention challenges that the facility came about to address in order to bring about smooth running of the malaria control activities. “That is why it came as an appendix to a grant that Nigeria is enjoying under the global fund to fight Nigeria.”

Conference

Reeling out major challenges, he said: “At the very inception meeting where the PMG-MAN where invited to participate in an encounter conference, where manufacturers of anti malaria came to present their idea on how the facility could be an added strength in our efforts to fight malaria. They came up with the idea that it may possibly kill the encountre companies because it is bringing an idea of a subsidised medicine which will put off the encountre marketers of these medicines at a very high risk.”

He noted that one of the outstanding achievements

of the programme was the recent prequalification of five Nigerian companies to produce these anti malaria drugs in the country. “When it started two years ago, the issue of prequalification where not taken seriously but currently, we are talking about five companies.”

Explaining that the programme was not mainly to reduce prices, he added that: “The essence of producing the drugs does not really translate making the drugs free. Part of the successes of the facility is that we have been able to initiate an effort which has led to prequalification of some of these companies, which is great deal to Nigeria in terms of procurement procedure s that lead to procuring these drugs at a very high amount of money. Instead of this money being carried outside the country it will now be spend encountre and it will add value to the economy.”

Earlier, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, represented by Mrs Fatima Bamidele, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health, affirmed that the country had been making efforts to contain malaria through measures such as massive distribution of long lasting insecticide treated nets, saying 46.8 million nets had been distributed so far in 30 states of the country.

He reeled out other measures taken to combat malaria, according to him, included scaling up in the use of indoor residual spraying (IRS) and larviciding; massive distribution of antimalarial medicines and commodities; capacity building for health workers at both national and states’ levels and the establishment of effective coordination structures at national and states level.