Malaria Gulps $1.1bn Annually, Says Minister of Health

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Pate has lamented the high financial loss Nigeria incurs due to malaria disease.

In a statement by the Ministry’s Deputy Director of Information & Public Relations, Alaba Balogun, during the inauguration of the Advisory Body on Malaria Elimination in Nigeria, held in Abuja, on Tuesday, Pate disclosed that the annual loss to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product from malaria exceeds $1.1bn.

The advisory body, consisting of globally renowned experts and chaired by Prof Rose Leke, is tasked with the responsibility of refocusing on advancing evidence-based solutions that address current challenges.

The body will also ensure that malaria elimination is prioritised in the budgets and plans of all levels of government and, create frameworks for accountability that ensure sustained progress.

According to Pate, the 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths shows that Nigeria bears the heaviest burden of the disease.

The Minister described the disease as not just a health crisis but an economic and developmental emergency adding that the country has the tools to tackle the disease.

Minister Pate described malaria elimination as an important part of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative framework for transforming the health sector, which aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The statement reads in part, “Malaria continues to exert an unacceptable toll on Nigeria. With 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of global malaria deaths, our country bears the heaviest burden of this disease. In 2022, over 180,000 Nigerian children under the age of five lost their lives to malaria – a tragedy we have the tools to prevent.

“This is not just a health crisis; it is an economic and developmental emergency. Malaria reduces productivity, increases out-of-pocket health expenditures and, compounds the challenges of poverty.

The annual loss to Nigeria’s GDP from malaria exceeds $1.1bn, a stark reminder of the economic imperative of elimination.”

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, expressed optimism that the experts will provide evidence-based advisory that would help Nigeria manage the deadly disease, and set up realistic paths to a malaria-free Nigeria.

Calling on all stakeholders to join the fight against malaria, Salako concluded: “For us to succeed, the private sector, the international partners, the healthcare workers and, the communities we serve must be harnessed and coordinated.”