The Dangote Cement company has launched a malaria intervention programme for host communities in Okpella, Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.
With the launch, the cement manufacturing company has begun to administer free anti-malaria treatments to residents in host communities.
This was disclosed in a statement on Thursday, May 9.
According to the Group Head of Sustainability, Igazeuma Okoroba, the programme was initiated to improve access to quality healthcare in host communities.
Okoroba described the relationship between the company and host communities as robust while noting that the goal is to bring healthcare closer and reduce the risk of malaria among the people.
She said: “Today’s campaign in Okpella, therefore, aims to engage our communities, bring healthcare close to where people live, and address factors that increase malaria risk while demonstrating our corporate social responsibility.
“As we observe, a significant portion of the population lacks access to vital healthcare services. Dangote Cement PLC aims to bridge this gap by addressing disparities in our host communities.
“We believe that healthy people are the foundation for healthy economies, and for this reason, countries are taking decisive actions to counteract health challenges. Our target for this campaign is Edo State”.
Currently, Nigeria contributes about 27% of the global burden of the disease, the highest in Africa. It also accounts for about 31.3% of deaths from malaria, the largest globally.
The disease, which is caused by tiny parasites called Plasmodium, is responsible for 11% of maternal deaths and 25% of deaths in infants.
The National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) also reported that Malaria accounts for 60% of outpatient visits to health facilities across the country and 30% of childhood deaths.
