The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, has articulated his intention to mobilize Members of Parliament (MPs) to accord precedence to malaria prevention and control within the budgetary allocations for the financial year 2024/2025.
Tayebwa conveyed this commitment on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at the Parliament premises after he participated in a 10-kilometer Malaria Awareness Walk, preceding the commemoration of World Malaria Day on April 25.
He implored the Minister of Health, Dr. Ruth Aceng, to adopt a definitive stance on the deployment of spraying and larviciding as essential measures in the battle against the malaria scourge.
Tayebwa emphasized the imperative of reconciling the positions of the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization regarding the efficacy of spraying and larviciding, citing instances of neighboring nations that have successfully eradicated the disease through such interventions. He underscored Parliament’s readiness to assume responsibility for decisions about spraying, contingent upon a consensus being reached.
Tayebwa further requested the minister to furnish Parliament with a meticulously costed strategy for spraying within a three-month timeframe, stressing the urgency of curbing the escalating financial burden and the human toll exacted by malaria.
In response to a petition submitted by a faction of children advocating for increased funding towards research and innovations for combating the malady, Tayebwa pledged to convene a dedicated session to address the issues raised, emphasizing the necessity for actionable measures.
Minister Aceng commended Parliament for its proactive stance in promoting and investing in malaria prevention, particularly in light of diminishing external funding for malaria control and prevention initiatives. She underscored the imperative for Uganda to mobilize its internal resources toward this disease eradication, emphasizing a strategic realignment of existing resources.
Aceng cautioned against complacency, highlighting the evolving pattern of its transmission, which increasingly affects adolescents, expectant mothers, and children. She tempered expectations regarding the efficacy of available vaccines, noting their partial effectiveness.
Timothy Batuwa, Chairperson of the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria, underscored the adoption of a community-centric approach by MPs to mitigate these disease-related fatalities, garnering support from public universities. He delineated plans to engage local communities in program formulation and implementation, including the training of village-level teams in malaria testing.
Dr. Daniel Kyabayinze, Director of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, lamented the toll exacted by malaria, with 14 fatalities recorded daily, attributing this to delayed testing and treatment. He expressed optimism regarding the prospects of reversing this trend through timely healthcare-seeking behavior, advocating for concerted efforts toward malaria elimination.
