By Aweye Teddy Onam
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Ader Machar Aciek has called on partners to support the Ministry’s 2023 National Malaria Indicators Survey, which aims to evaluate progress made against targeted core malaria control interventions set forth in the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
“I call upon the World Food Programme, United Nations Children’s Fund, and other partners to fund and support and fund my Ministry with resources for the benefit of residents of this great nation South Sudan,” he said during the lanch of the malaria survey.
The survey, led by the National Malaria Control Program, is financed by the Global Fund. It was launched on Monday in Juba.
Dr. Joseph Panyuan Puok, National Malaria Control Program Manager, stated that the survey aims to assess the progress made against the targeted core malaria control interventions outlined in the National Malaria Strategic Plan 2020-2025.
“Malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality particularly among pregnant women and children under the age of five which means malaria is a top public health priority for the government of South Sudan,” he said.
Dr. John Rumunu, Director General of the Preventive Health Service, stated that the Ministry of Health’s priority of malaria indicators survey due to high maternal-child mortality rates.
“The sampling with support from the National Bureau of Statistics we managed to sample 560,000 households per state and Administrative Areas and data will be collected using the questionnaire method among others,” he said.
The survey is a top public health priority for the government of South Sudan. The survey has been commissioned by the National Bureau of Statistics and health partners, with data collected using questionnaire methods.
World Health Organization representative Senkwe Mutale Nsakashalo urged everyone to embrace the survey and participate collectively, as the data and results will inform policy directions in South Sudan.
“I ask everyone to embrace the malaria indicator survey and let us all participate in it so that at the end of it we will have data and results that are going to inform our policy directions in South Sudan.”
For his part, Deputy representative of UNICEF, Kennedy Ongwe stated that the organization will continue to focus on controlling malaria, as the war against malaria is one of their objectives and vision.
The survey aims to assure the ministry and partners that it is in the target areas, primarily affected by children and pregnant women, which aligns with UNICEF’s mandate.