Bhubaneshwar, September 07, 2019: Malaria No More India launchedMalaria Action Coalition(MAC) under the under the leadership of Government of Odisha, with a vision to make the state Malaria free. The MAC will act as a multi-sectoral coordination platform, chaired by the Government of Odisha, with representation from non-Government technical, research and implementation agencies as well as private sectors, donors, investors and media partners to support the National vector Borne Disease Control Programme of the state Government.
The coalition was launched by Shri Naba Kishore Das, Honorable Minister, Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha. The event was attended by Dr. P.K. Meherda, Secretary and Commissioner; Dr. H. P. Patnaik, Special Secretary, Government of Odisha; Dr. Sanjeev Gaikwad, Country Director, Malaria No More India and Mr. Bhaskar Malladi, General Manager, Abbott India amongst other government officials and dignitaries. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Naba Kishore Das, Honorable Minister, Health and Family Welfare, Government of Odisha stressed on the commitment to curb Malaria in the state, “Improving public health is a shared responsibility of all the stakeholders- Government, Private players and sector experts. We are happy to announce the launch of the Malaria Action Coalition, the coalition will bring thought leadership, along with the state government, to make the fight against malaria more robust.” Dr. Sanjeev Gaikwad, Malaria No More India, Country Director, stated “To make Odisha Malaria free, we realized that there was a need of a body that brings together efforts of various stakeholders on a single platform. We believe, MAC will seamlessly fill that gap and bring new insights which will make the fight against malaria inclusive and intensive.” 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 commitmentThe launch saw participation from private players like Abbott India, working in the sector 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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