Odisha: Malaria action coalition launched to eliminate malaria from state

Bhubaneswar: Malaria Action Coalition (MAC) under the leadership of Odisha Government was launched today with a vision to make the state Malaria free.

‘Malaria No More’ India, a non-profit organisation working to support India’s 2030 malaria elimination goal launched the MAC which will act as a multi-sectoral coordination platform.

Launching the MAC, Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das stressed the commitment to control Malaria in the state.

“Improving public health is a shared responsibility of all the stakeholders- Government, Private players and sector experts, he said adding that the Malaria Action Coalition, will bring thought leadership, along with the state government, to make the fight against malaria more robust.”

Malaria No More India, Country Director Sanjeev Gaikwad, said “there was a need of a body that brings together efforts of various stakeholders on a single platform to make Odisha Malaria free.

“We believe, MAC will seamlessly fill that gap and bring new insights which will make the fight against malaria inclusive and intensive,” he remarked.

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The Salient features and objective of the Malaria Action Coalition will be -- Promoting strong political buy-in, policy and media commitment, advancing knowledge synthesis to policy translation, Strengthening programmatic action through innovative tools and technology, Facilitating multi-sectoral commitment.

Private players like Abbott India, working in the sector participated in the programme to support the fight against malaria. Abbott has supplied 1 million rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and technical expertise to strengthen Odisha’s malaria detection and surveillance system.

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