Malaria No More and Govt of Odisha on Malaria elimination
Malaria No More (MNM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha’s Department of Health and Family Welfare to eradicate malaria from the state. Prayatna, a grassroot organization that is the implementing and fiduciary partner of Malaria No More’s MNM India programme, was also a part of the tripartite partnership.
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Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Special Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha; Dr. Niranjan Mishra, Director of Public Health, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Odisha; Dr Shubhashisha Mohanty, JD and SPO, State NVBDCP, Government of Odisha; Ms. Anuradha Khanal, Director, Global Policy and Advocacy, Malaria.
MNM has been assisting the Government of Odisha in strengthening the state’s malaria control and elimination programme since 2018, providing technical, strategic, implementation, advocacy, and innovation assistance. This new MoU strengthens the existing partnership between MNM and the Government of Odisha, with a 5-year partnership period.
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Over the next five years, MNM hopes to build on and improve on the previous MoU by expanding operational geography to include additional parts of Koraput and Malkangiri, two of the country’s most malaria-endemic districts. The expanded partnership will also emphasise the integration of newer tools and innovative technology, such as advanced data reporting, management, and analysis tools; strengthening inter-sectoral and inter-departmental coordination for a concerted and collaborative effort; and improving the state’s entomological capacity. Furthermore, the MoU will seek to incorporate and integrate the malaria burden diagnosed and treated in the private health sector (both formal and informal) with the official reported burden.
Making comments on the collaboration, Dr. Ajit Mohanty, Special Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha said, “This partnership will further accelerate the malaria control drive initiated by the Government of Odisha. The Odisha government has already demonstrated their commitment in India by drastically reducing the case load, and the support of Malaria No More will add to these increased efforts with district-specific requirements. Malaria Sathee and Malaria Doot services in inaccessible, cut-off areas of Koraput and Malkangiri are highly commendable, as they have saved the lives of over 440 people, including support for timely referral of pregnant and U5 children in the years 2021 and 2022. I am optimistic about the future.
“We believe that India will pave the way for global malaria control solutions, as it has in the past for diseases like polio,” said Ms. Anuradha Khanal, Director Global Policy and Advocacy, Malaria No More. Odisha, as one of the country’s most malaria-endemic states, will be vital in achieving this goal. The extension of our existing partnership with the Government of Odisha will help us further our ambition and support India’s goal of eliminating malaria by 2030.”
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