HEPS, Partners Lobby MPs for More Malaria Funding

Today, HEPS Uganda joined Malaria Consortium and Ministry of Health and World Health Organization to enlighten Members of Parliament on Malaria control and Prevention in Uganda. The event was graced the by Speaker of Parliament Rt.Hon Rebecca Kadaga, the state minister of health for Primary Health Care, Sarah Opendi and 30 MPs and other development partners and policy makers.

Some of the highlighted issues in the meeting include a need for an increment in domestic funding for Malaria prevention proggrammes and commodities like anti malaria drugs, issuing tax waivers on Rapid Diagnostic testing kits for malaria and increasing regulation on the importation of the same to avoid fake products on the market.

The Speaker of Parliament committed to supporting the cause of increasingb the budget allocated for Malaria and pledged to provide all the necessary assistance to have a parliamentary forum focusing on Malaria.

The state minister of health for primary health care, Sarah Opendi also committed to have government increase funding to Malaria and said that the government is going to launch a mass distribution of mosquito nets in nothern Uganda as part of a wider effort to reduce the malaria cases there. Meanwhile, she urged leaders not to politicise health issues if the public is to gain from government efforts as a whole.

The malaria success story in many countries is hinged on the key pillars of the advocacy, communication and social behavior change platforms. Members of Parliament are key advocates for policy change, financial mobilization and community sensitization.