The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has announced the ban on chloroquine and artemisinin monotherapy used in the treatment of malaria.
He also stated that about N300bn was being lost annually by the Federal Government in the treatment and prevention of the disease.
According to him, the losses are incurred in government’s efforts to address the scourge in the country.
Adewole spoke on Tuesday in Abuja, during the commemoration of this year’s World Malaria Day with the theme, “End Malaria for Good: What is your Role?”
“With a new emphasis on citizen accountability and rights I want you as a Nigerian citizen to challenge your health care provider and ask questions. When you have malaria and somebody wants to prescribe drugs for you, ask the health care provider: ‘Have you confirmed this is malaria?’ It is your right.
“As a citizen when your healthcare provider prescribes chloroquine or artemisinin monotherapy, say no. Doctors and nurses have been told that chloroquine is no longer useful and that it is wrong to prescribe artemisin monotherapy. For the healthcare provider, do not treat malaria without diagnosis. Tell yourself, ‘I must not prescribe chloroquine. I must not prescribe monotherapy for artemisinin when what we should prescribe is a combination therapy”, the minister emphasised.
He said that although malaria remained a preventable disease, it had continued to be a huge problem in Nigeria where 90 per cent of the entire population of 180 million people, particularly pregnant women and children under the age of five, were at risk.
The minister said, “In Nigeria, malaria is responsible for around 60 per cent of out-patient visits, 30 per cent of childhood deaths, 25 per cent of death of children under one year and 11 per cent of maternal deaths. Similarly, about 70 per cent of pregnant women suffer from malaria, which contributes to maternal anemia, low birth rates, still births, abortions and other pregnancy-related complications.
“Financial loss to malaria is estimated to be about N300 billion annually in form of treatment cost, prevention cost and loss of man hours. Malaria is one of the principal reasons for the poor school attendance in many settings because it counts for 13 to 15 per cent of medical reasons for absenteeism from school.”
