The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to prioritise local content when procuring malaria commodities using funds from the IMPACT Projects facility.This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) at the plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.In his motion, he urged the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Malaria Programme, and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to comply with the resolution.
The motion titled, ” Call for Intervention in Nigeria’s Losses in the Fight against Malaria, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Yusuf Sununu (APC-Jigawa).He said that Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent of malaria cases and 31 per cent of malaria deaths worldwide, with malaria killing no fewer than 200,000 Nigerians and afflicting 61 million others in 2021 alone.
He said that in spite of efforts to contain malaria, Nigeria lost over N645.7 billion yearly in the prevention and treatment of the disease as well as other costs.He said that, Nigeria beings one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Global Fund grant with a value of 412 million dollars, the country was at risk of losing the grant and other partnership opportunities.This, according to him, is asa result of poor absorption, poor performance and lack of domestic resource mobilisation.He said that with the onset of the rainy season, Nigeria was in dire need of malaria interventions.He said that in the past years, non-approved mosquito nets had been procured and distributed in Nigeria without any rejection by the leadership of the National Malaria Programme.This, he said, was inspite of a resolution bythe house calling for the prioritisation of local content in the procurement of malaria commodities.He said if nothing was done to address the underperformance of NMEP and improve the quality of malaria interventions in Nigeria, the country would continue to lose huge sums annually as well as thousands of lives.Lawmakers then resolved to invite the Leadership of the National Malaria Programme to explain why defective mosquito nets were still being procured, imported and distributed in Nigeria.Members added that this was against World Health Organisation Standardsand Local Content directives from the House.The house also mandated the Committees on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Healthcare Services andHealth Institutions to investigate the late/non-disbursement of the IMPACT Project funds.This include alleged underperformance and down rating of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) by the office of the Inspector General of the Global FundThis also include procurement and distribution of non-approved mosquito nets across the country and report back within six for further legislative action.(NAN)
By Femi Ogunshola
The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to prioritise local content when procuring malaria commodities using funds from the IMPACT Projects facility.
This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia) at the plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.In his motion, he urged the Federal Ministry of Health, the National Malaria Programme, and other relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies to comply with the resolution.
The motion titled, ” Call for Intervention in Nigeria’s Losses in the Fight against Malaria, which was co-sponsored by Rep. Yusuf Sununu (APC-Jigawa).He said that Nigeria accounts for 27 per cent of malaria cases and 31 per cent of malaria deaths worldwide, with malaria killing no fewer than 200,000 Nigerians and afflicting 61 million others in 2021 alone.He said that in spite of efforts to contain malaria, Nigeria lost over N645.7 billion yearly in the prevention and treatment of the disease as well as other costs.
He said that, Nigeria beings one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Global Fund grant with a value of 412 million dollars, the country was at risk of losing the grant and other partnership opportunities.This, according to him, is asa result of poor absorption, poor performance and lack of domestic resource mobilisation.He said that with the onset of the rainy season, Nigeria was in dire need of malaria interventions.He said that in the past years, non-approved mosquito nets had been procured and distributed in Nigeria without any rejection by the leadership of the National Malaria Programme.This, he said, was inspite of a resolution bythe house calling for the prioritisation of local content in the procurement of malaria commodities.He said if nothing was done to address the underperformance of NMEP and improve the quality of malaria interventions in Nigeria, the country would continue to lose huge sums annually as well as thousands of lives.Lawmakers then resolved to invite the Leadership of the National Malaria Programme to explain why defective mosquito nets were still being procured, imported and distributed in Nigeria.Members added that this was against World Health Organisation Standardsand Local Content directives from the House.
The house also mandated the Committees on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, Healthcare Services andHealth Institutions to investigate the late/non-disbursement of the IMPACT Project funds.This include alleged underperformance and down rating of the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) by the office of the Inspector General of the Global FundThis also include procurement and distribution of non-approved mosquito nets across the country and report back within six for further legislative action.(NAN)
