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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has charged the Federal Government to utilise part of the savings from the removal of fuel subsidy for free malaria treatment in all government hospitals across the country.
The House also urged Federal Ministry of Health to set up units in all government hospitals, across the country, where citizens can access free malaria treatment.
This followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Amobi Ogah, urging the government to make malaria treatment free and accessible.
Ogah, in the motion, said the country has the highest malaria burden globally, as it accounts for close to 27 per cent of the global malaria burden. The lawmaker said malaria has a nexus with poverty, as a predominantly sick population would not have a strong economic power.
He said with the current economic hardship in the country, most citizens cannot afford a single meal per day, as well as malaria treatment, due the high cost of living since the removal of fuel subsidy.
Ogah said: “According to malaria treatment (2023) statistics about 45 per cent of the total population of Nigeria get infected by malaria on an annual basis. An estimated 68 million cases and 194,000 deaths due to the disease were recorded in 2021. Nigeria has the highest burden of malaria globally, accounting for nearly 27 per cent of the global malaria burden.
“It is disturbing to understand that, the average cost of treating malaria in Nigeria today by self-medication is about N5,000 and upon consultation with healthcare provider with a laboratory test may cost over N10,000.
“Many Nigerians cannot presently afford these. Consequently, they may resort to using local herbs or sub-standard drugs that may lead to complications or even death.
“Upon the present national economic hardship where a single meal per day is hardly affordable by most average and lower-class citizens with the exorbitant cost of living due to the removal of oil subsidy, affordability of the purchase of malaria drugs becomes even more difficult thus, the need for the intervention of the government in the provision of free malaria treatment/drugs in all government hospitals to avert the malaria catastrophe.”
