By Bamidele Ogunwusi Lagos
Concerned by the plight of Nigerians over the scourge of malaria disease in which a World Health Organisation (WHO) study shows that Africa accounts for a total malaria cost of US$12 billion and each household is estimated to spend between $2 and $25 on malaria treatment and between $15 and $20 on prevention monthly, Group Managing Director of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, has warned that the fight against the disease can no longer be left to governments’ intervention alone.
Wigwe who spoke during a two-day forum on malaria held in Lagos called for concerted partnership among stakeholders especially in the private sector of the economy.
In his welcome remarks at the 2015 Corporate Alliance on Malaria in Africa (CAMA), Technical Forum jointly hosted by the bank and GBCHealth , Wigwe observed that the time has indeed come for a collaborative effort among eery organisation in the private sector to lay input into the fight against malaria saying, “it is now, and that no stone should be left unturned in this regard”.
The theme of the two day forum is The Road to 2020: Mobilizing the Private Sector in Nigeria’s Fight against Malaria.
The Access Bank MD pointed out that malaria is a major public health problem in Nigeria with frightening statistics that accounts for more cases and deaths than any other country in the world; adding that Malaria is a risk for 97 per cent of f Nigeria’s population, while the remaining 3 per cent of the population live in the malaria -free highlands.
His words: “There are an estimated 100 million malaria cases with over 300,000 deaths per year in Nigeria. This compares with 215,000 deaths per year in Nigeria from HIV/AIDS. Malaria contributes to an estimated 11 per cent of maternal mortality. It accounts for 60 per cent of outpatient visits and 30 per cent of hospitalisations among children under the age of five years in Nigeria.
“I strongly believe that every institution in Africa, public or private, has a role to play in making sure that we win the battle for better health care on our continent. As a bank, we have committed ourselves to finding new ways to sustainably support the efforts of government, non-profits, medical and pharmaceutical companies as they work to prevent and treat diseases, especially those which disproportionately affect the people of Africa.
“We have worked closely with our technical partners, to train over 3,000 SMEs from across Africa to implement work place health policies that would promote behavioural change towards treatable diseases and ensure a ripple effect from top to bottom. We are convinced that if the private sector considers the long term, they will see that there is an opportunity in the health arena to both do good and to deliver returns to shareholders.
“At Access Bank, we have a dedicated business unit that specifically caters for NGOs and multilateral organisations. This enables the Bank provide a safe and transparent channel for international donors and NGOs to channel funding to local partners”.
He said by working together as public and private partners, “We can truly improve the health of Africa”.
He added that the bank will continue to develop new ways to finance and address growing businesses in our continent, and we are committed to making sure these businesses adhere to sustainable banking principles. Working with partners like GBCHealth and the Private Sector Health Alliance of Nigeria, amongst others, we will continuously provide African leadership with our support to secure a better future for the health of our people.
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