[Zambia] State Ponders More Potent Malaria Cure

from All Africa

GOVERNMENT is considering putting up a sustainable fight against malaria by developing medicines that are effective, affordable and safe for the people, President Mwanawasa has said.

Mr Mwanawasa said since malaria had remained the major health problem facing many African countries, it had become increasingly important that new and affordable anti-malaria drugs were developed.

The President said Zambia, like many other countries in the Sub Saharan region, had suffered huge losses of human resource due to malaria.

He was speaking when he officiated at the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) sixth conference at Royal Zambezi Hotel in Livingstone in a speech read for him by Vice-President, Lupando Mwape.

Mr Mwanawasa said information on the progress being made in the development of new malaria drugs was vital to countries where the disease was pandemic.

He said what should be sustainable for Government was to start putting in place plans that would ensure continued work towards the development of new malaria medicines that were effective, affordable and safe for the people.

Currently, the most effective drug recommended and being used is Coartem and was still too expensive at US$2.40 for an adult course.

Mr Mwanawasa explained that in order to have an impact and reduce the burden of malaria in southern Africa and Zambia in particular, it was imperative for the ordinary people to have easy access to the drugs that were effective and affordable.

He said there was need for consistent supply of the drugs so that health centres across the country did not suffer from stock-outs.

He said currently, Zambia needed about four million treatments annually but going by the poor state of the economy, the cost involved would be too much for Government alone to bear.

Mr Mwanawasa observed that with cheaper drugs available, Zambia would be able to procure its drugs without solely depending on donors and other cooperating partners.

The President commended MMV for its effort in addressing the burden of malaria, adding that Government could not single-handedly win the war against the disease, unless with help from stakeholders.

He called on all sectors of society to get actively involved in addressing the malaria situation.

MMV executive director, Mary Robinson, said health matters had become fundamental human rights and called on governments in Africa to recognise the fact.

Mrs Robinson, who is former Ireland President, said poverty should never be a stumbling block to access quality health care.

She said she was aware that many people had failed to access quality health service because of poverty.

Mrs Robinson explained that many African countries were signatories to the African Charter and other international instruments and that it was important that these instruments were fully domesticated and implemented.

She said MMV had committed about US$3 million annually to the fight against malaria in Africa.

She observed that it was shocking and unacceptable that poverty should be allowed to deprive children and women from accessing quality health care.

Acting Minister of Health, Vernon Mwaanga, said malaria should not be considered as a health problem but an economic one.