The Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ekem Emmanuel John, has directed healthcare providers across the state, to henceforth adhere strictly to the National Treatment Guidelines for Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment stressing that accurate diagnosis was critical to effective case management and the prevention of avoidable deaths.
The Commissioner gave the directive while declaring open a two-day Severe Malaria Mortality Review Meeting with the theme, “Strengthening Severe Malaria Case Management and Mortality Review for Quality Improvement in Akwa Ibom State”.
Dr. John directed all health facilities, including private healthcare facilities, to strictly adhere to the National Guidelines for Malaria Diagnosis and Treatment in managing malaria among children, adults and pregnant women.
He further directed that the guidelines be made available to all health facilities across the state to promote compliance, standardise treatment practices and enhance the quality of malaria case management.
Dr. John also advocated the use of microscopy alongside malaria Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) for malaria diagnosis, noting that malaria microscopists had been trained in the state.
He stressed the need to maximise the available expertise and resources to improve the accuracy of malaria diagnosis, noting that proper diagnosis would ensure that patients receive appropriate treatment and contribute to improved management of severe malaria cases.
Dr. John further charged Medical Superintendents, as leaders of their respective facilities, to translate their training and knowledge into actionable outcomes, while ensuring that healthcare workers in their stations effectively perform their various roles and responsibilities to improve the quality of care provided to patients.
The Commissioner stressed that proper documentation, regular mortality reviews and continuous monitoring of facility performance were critical to identifying gaps in service delivery and implementing appropriate measures for quality improvement.
Dr. John, however, cautioned stakeholders against complacency, stressing that the decline in malaria prevalence should not reduce efforts to strengthen malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment and case management across the state.
He noted that the state must continue to critically analyse severe malaria deaths, particularly those that may have been preventable, to identify gaps in case management and develop practical strategies to further reduce malaria related mortality.
Dr. John urged participants to critically review the cases presented during the meeting and ensure that lessons learnt and recommendations from the mortality review process are translated into concrete interventions to strengthen malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment and case management across the state.
Also speaking, Coordinator of the Reaching Every At-Risk Community and Household with Malaria Services (REACH) Malaria Project in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Ime Akpan, said the project is funded by the Government of the United States of America through the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) and led by PATH.
According to him, the project is designed to strengthen the implementation of quality malaria services, build resilient health systems from the national to the community level, and promote effective leadership in malaria service delivery.
Mr. Akpan who highlighted the progress recorded under the project in Akwa Ibom State, noted that 48 health facilities are currently reached through state-level interventions, while 186 facilities are covered through local government-level interventions.
He added that 30 private health facilities are also being engaged under the project to strengthen malaria service delivery and improve the monitoring of malaria cases.
The PMI REACH Coordinator stressed the importance of sustained collaboration among government, healthcare providers and development partners in strengthening malaria prevention, diagnosis, treatment and case management across the state.
Presenting the objectives of the meeting, the State Malaria Elimination Programme (SMEP) Programme Manager, Dr. Ukeme John, said the meeting was designed to update stakeholders’ knowledge of severe malaria and promote a common understanding of its appropriate management, including timely referral.
She explained that the meeting would also review the burden and patterns of severe malaria morbidity and mortality in Akwa Ibom State, as well as conduct structured reviews of severe malaria deaths and near-miss cases reported in selected health facilities across the state.
The meeting brought together the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr. Patrick Essiet; the Technical Advisor to the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Etop Antia; the Executive Secretary of the Akwa Ibom State Primary Healthcare Development Agency (AKSPHCDA), Dr. Eno Attah; the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee (CMAC), University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Prof. Udoinyang Clement Inyang; Directors from the State Ministry of Health and Hospitals Management Board; Medical Superintendents; Programme Managers; REACH/PATH partners and other key stakeholders in the health sector.
