Nigeria’s House Of Representatives Urges Federal Government To Subsidize Malaria Drugs

Nigeria's House of Representatives on Thursday urged the federal government to subsidize malaria drugs at all government-owned health centers.

The lower house of parliament also asked the government to declare a state of emergency, considering the increasing number of malaria cases in Nigeria.

Amobi Ogar, chairman of the Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control, said the drugs are so expensive that people couldn't afford them despite a higher rate of malaria cases across the country.

"I am concerned by the havoc malaria is wrecking on our populace and we are going to push and advocate that malaria drugs be subsidized, if not made free at all government health centers," Ogar said, Punch reported.

He noted the drugs should be available for citizens either free of cost or at subsidized rates.

The "committee is saddled with the responsibility to formulate legislative measures for the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, coordinating and harmonizing activities of government and non-governmental agencies on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria generally to ensure the effectiveness of the efforts at HIV/AIDS and malaria control, remedy, and cure for AIDS patients," Ogar said.

The committee stressed the need to build new collaborations and partnerships with relevant metering and data acquisition systems, donor agencies and non-governmental organizations to achieve this goal.

Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the World Health Organization's (WHO) representative for Nigeria, said many fall sick due to poverty and others don't have access to good quality healthcare services in the country.

"With the ongoing increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases on the background of the high burden of communicable diseases, multiple outbreaks, and the highest out-of-pocket expenditure on health in the region, more Nigerians are falling into poverty due to ill health while many do not have access to the quality essential health services they need," Mulombo added, Tribune Online reported.

Earlier this year, Nigeria became the second country in the world to approve Oxford University's R21 malaria vaccine after Ghana.

R21 is an "adjuvanted protein vaccine" that will help in preventing malaria in children aged between 5 and 36 months. Ahead of market authorization, Nigeria will receive 100,000 doses of the vaccine as a donation from Oxford University, said Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, director general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control.