Date: 2017-09-19 16:16:16 ID: 1709
Niamey, 14 September 2017 – Supporting countries to achieve evidence-based results: such is the regional coordination mission of the West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), within the framework of the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Sahel project.
The beneficiary countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger) organised Mass Treatment Campaigns (MTC) against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) in May and June 2017 and two synchronised rounds of Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria (CSM) in July and August 2017. Within the framework of the regional coordination of the project interventions, WAHO organised on the 14 and 15 of September 2017 in Niamey, Niger, the meeting to review and exchange experiences on the Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria (CSM) and Mass Treatment Campaigns against Neglected Tropical Diseases (MTC/NTD).
This meeting brought together national coordinators of M/NTD, coordinators of the national malaria control programme, coordinators of the national programme for the control NTDs, regional Directors of Health (border regions), Heads of the NHIS and doctors in charge of border districts covered by the project. There were also representatives of Ministries of education from beneficiary countries, representatives of technical and financial partners such as HKI, CRS, Malaria Consortium, etc. and WAHO Professionals. In all, the meeting brought together more than 40 participants from the three beneficiary countries.
In his introductory speech the Director General of WAHO, DR Xavier CRESPIN, represented by the WAHO research Professional, Professor Issiaka SOMBIE, first of all thanked and congratulated the Minister of public health of the Republic of Niger for having honoured the opening ceremony with his presence.
He recalled WAHO’s principal mission, which is “to provide the highest level of healthcare to the people of the ECOWAS region. In this regard, WAHO is committed to facilitating exchange of experiences among countries, harmonising policies and circulating information and health resources in the region with a view to reducing diseases-related morbidity and mortality”.
“Our conviction is that this review meeting and exchange of experiences would enable participants to build their capacities for a better management of the campaign activities and that the best practices that are identified from it would be beneficial to the other health programmes within the framework of integration”, stated the representative of the DG of WAHO.
Finally, Prof SOMBIE reaffirmed WAHO’s availability and commitment to support the efforts of countries towards attaining the objectives of the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in Sahel project.
The Minister of public health of Niger, Dr Idi Iliassou MAINASSARA, in his opening speech, outlined the objectives of the meeting, which are among others: (i) the sharing of experiences and the organisation and implementation of the CSM and MTC; (ii) the identification of the achievements to be consolidated as well as the weaknesses to be remedied with a view to improving the next phase of the campaign; and (iii) estimating and preparing country needs for medicines (QA, PS and Praziquantel) for the organisation of the 2018 campaigns.
The meeting will also be an opportunity to present the results of the mission to identify, document and share best practices within the framework of the M/NTD project as well as the results of the needs assessment for strengthening the operations of the sentinel sites for malaria and NTDs in the project beneficiary countries.
The Minister thanked the participants from the three countries and invited them to formulate strong recommendations, which will bring about progress in the implementation of the project.
Dr MAINASSARA did not fail to commend the technical and financial partners in health, and particularly the World Bank for funding the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Sahel project.