Inclusive fight against malaria: Stakeholders map out 2024 action plan for socially vulnerable persons.

 This was during a two-day workshop organised recently in Soa, in the outskirts of Yaounde. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Social Affairs, MINAS, with the facilitation of local organisation championing anti-malaria campaigns, Impact Sante Afrique, ISA. 
Speaking during the workshop, the Head of Monitoring Unit at MINAS, Noé Theodore Ngue, said malaria, which remains a major public health concern, increases the susceptibility of socially vulnerable persons. This, he said, necessitates the need for the involvement of the social affairs ministry in the fight against malaria.
“As concerns curbing the vulnerability of persons, MINAS is involved,” the MINAS representative said. 
He continued that “our research has made us to understand that certain traditional operations in the fight against malaria like the distribution of mosquito bed nets usually don’t earmark public or private structures like orphanages that gather socially vulnerable persons”. 
In addition, he said messages designed to sensitise people about malaria are often not adapted to persons with auditory deficiency, likewise public health structures not being adapted to physically challenged persons in terms of architectural accessibility.  
“There is much work to be done to attain the objectives set by the State which talks about health for all and the philosophy of leaving no one behind either intentionally or accidentally in the actions meant to curb the malaria,” Ngue added.  

MINAS contributing own quota to anti-malaria fight
On his part, the South Regional Delegate of Social Affairs, Tcheteu Epanlong Bernard, said everyone has a responsibility of synergising efforts to contribute to the prevention and treatment of malaria in the country. 
“This is an important opportunity for the Ministry of Social Affairs to bring its own contribution to the prevention and care of malaria as far as the socially vulnerable persons are concerned,” the Regional Delegate said. 
He stressed that: “For some time now, some categories of the socially vulnerable were not taken into consideration during malaria prevention activities. So, this workshop is a great opportunity for the socially vulnerable people to be included in the plan to fight malaria for next year”.
The Regional Delegate stressed that the committee has agreed to implement as strategy for 2024 to identify institutions of socially vulnerable persons across the country to be included in the campaign. Also, he assured that they are finalising a plan for activity that will be carried out so that nobody will be left behind.

Important of inclusion of socially vulnerable persons
The Head of Communication unit at NMCP, Oumarou Ngambe, explained that the aim of the 2019-2023 National Malaria Control Strategic Plan is to promote universal access to malaria control interventions. 
According to him, the goal of this plan sums up the principle of equal access to basic health services for all Cameroonians, without distinction.
“Involving vulnerable people in achieving the results of this vision is pure logic. The aim is to give the most disadvantaged sections of the population every opportunity to access malaria control services and products, with a view to eliminating malaria by 2035,” Ngambe stated. 
Following consultations with the vulnerable population in different parts of the country, ISA representative at the workshop, Fidele Bemadoum, said the objective was to gather the key actors to reflect on how MINAS, NMCP and civil society can seek solutions to common challenges faced by socially vulnerable persons.