SFH Managing Director draws attention to the cost burden of malaria
Sir Bright Ekweremadu, Managing Director of Nigeria’s Society for Family Health has told healthnews.africa that the money lost annually to malaria can pay the salaries of 2.2 million Nigerians.
In an exclusive with healthnews.africa, he said more than US$3 billion is lost to malaria yearly due to out of pocket treatment and prevention costs.
He added that ignorance has had negative impacts on Nigeria’s malaria control program.
“Ignorance is deadly as studies have shown that a significant contributor to malaria’s deadly count in Nigeria is inadequate knowledge and information on the part of caregivers and the citizenry,” Ekweremadu told healthnews.africa
He decried the inadequate empowerment of Nigerian healthcare workers
“Caregivers are inadequately empowered with appropriate health education to change their behaviour and use of malaria commodities with consequences for prevention and treatment of the ailment,” Ekweremadu said.
Ekweremadu joined SFH in 1993 and rose to the position of Managing Director in January 2005. As the Managing Director for Society for Family Health (SFH), Sir Bright has led the organisation to become the first Nigerian NGO to receive direct funding from the US Government.
He had previously observed that the worst affected age group by malaria in Nigeria are children between 6 months and 5 years. According to him, three out of 10 deaths among children were caused by malaria.