First meeting with partners of National Malaria Control Programme
20 July 2008
NMCP organised the first-ever with its partners in a two-day workshop that took place at the Yaounde Conference Centre from 17-18 July 2008. The various partners drawn from government bodies, corporation institutions, research institutes, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and among others exerted much energy to identify competences and rally forces for a Harmonised Workgroup.
According to Dr. Prosper Ndong, the NMCP Permanent Secretary, it was an opportunity for the “various partners to renew their commitment with the National Malaria Control Programme and to able to best position themselves”.
On the overall, this meeting was aimed at building a strong coalition between partners and the government against malaria. Reason why there is need for shared ideas, the deployment of technical expertise and finance in a bid to reduce the malaria burden in Cameroon. Thus, such a strong and viable partnership would greatly help to step up the efforts of the NMCP by filling in gaps identified in the malaria programme based on data collected from the Needs Assessment exercise. Presiding over the opening ceremony, the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda said the meeting was a platform for partners to contribute in providing the right information government needs as evidence to drive forth policies geared towards combating malaria. He drew allusion to the recommendations from CEMAC member states during their recent meeting in Yaounde “to look for new avenues to join forces (as partners) in the fight against malaria”.
That notwithstanding, it is important assess the needs of the NMCP in rolling back as this will greatly enable partners identify the gap as to “what is available and what is needed to fight against in Cameroon”. Malaria experts hold that the malaria situation in Cameroon has improved since 2003. As far as prevention is concerned, many pregnant women and children under five receive free insecticide treated mosquito nets. More and more, ACTs are made available in health facilities.
Talking the media, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the NMCP, Dr Etienne Fondjo explained that the new plan of action against malaria discussed with partners is not built on the spirit of rolling back malaria, but scaling up efforts to be able to attain the 2010 target. Henceforth, activities will not only be centred on women and children below five but the entire population.
At the end of the two-day conference, a good number of recommendations were made to enrich the National Malaria Control Programme so that by 2010 the fight against malaria would fast become a thing of the past. All partner organisations left with renewed vigour and zeal to continue contributing to the fight and most importantly, to avoid duplicating activities that can hamper the progress of the malaria programme. Well, the truth still remains that malaria kills more than any disease in Cameroon and so, there is need for everyone – not necessarily NMCP partners – to rally forces against this killer disease.
By Akere Maimo
