India has made remarkable progress in controlling malaria with 86.45 per cent decline in cases of the vector- borne disease and 79.16 per cent reduction in deaths in 2021 as compared to 2015, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday.
During an address here on World Malaria Day, the minister said railway stations in New Delhi, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar and Nagpur will be illuminated in hues of orange and purple on Monday to raise awareness among the general public about the disease.
“Not only diagnosis and treatment, ‘swachhta’ in our personal and community surroundings and social awareness regarding malaria control and prevention are equally important in our collective fight against it and for meeting our goal of elimination of malaria from the country by 2030,” Mandaviya said.
“The need is to emphasise progressive strengthening of health care delivery system and improve multi-sectoral coordination and collaboration,” he stressed.
April 25 is observed as World Malaria Day. This year’s theme is “Harness innovation to reduce the global malaria disease burden and save lives.”
Mandaviya called for prioritisation of malaria elimination through national and sub-national efforts. He emphasised that leveraging technology and innovation will help in developing tailor-made solutions to advance India’s malaria elimination plan and contribute to improved health, quality of life and alleviation of poverty.
Ground level frontline healthcare workers including ASHAs, ANMs along with partner organisations need to work in tandem for creating mass awareness about diagnosis, timely and effective treatment and vector control measures, he said.
The private sector including private practitioners need to align their malaria case management and reporting and related activities with the national programme, he said
“As we move ahead with innovative technology use, India’s ‘e-sanjeevani’ has shown the pathway for tele-consultation and tele-referencing which are being widely used at the ground level for diagnosis and treatment of various healthcare problems including malaria,: he stated. The Union health minister also detailed the success made in malaria elimination.
“India has made remarkable progress in reducing malaria incidence and deaths.Our efforts have resulted in 86.45 per cent decline in malaria cases and 79.16 per cent reduction in malaria related deaths in 2021 as compared to 2015. A total of 124 districts in the country have reported ‘zero malaria case’. This is a major step towards our goal for elimination of malaria but still more needs be done to fulfil the dream of malaria free India,” he said.
Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharti Pravin Pawar said if more efforts are put in testing and treatment, India will achieve the dream of malaria eradication by 2030.