The Rivers State government said it has concluded arrangements to commence joint partnership with ECOWAS for the production of Biolarvicides to control and eliminate malaria in the state.
The state governor Chibuike Amaechi made this known at a press briefing ahead of the ground breaking ceremony for the Biolarvicides Production Factory in Rivers State and town hall meeting on Malaria elimination scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
Representing the governor, the state’s Commissioner for health, Dr Sampson Parker said the joint venture will be a 50/50 partnership between the state government and ECOWAS, which is also capable of creating employment opportunities for over 500 indigenes of Rivers State.
According to the Commissioner, the rationale for establishing the Biolaviocides factory in Rivers State was due to the huge cost implication of buying and transportation of the Biolaviocides to Nigeria through a Cuban Company, Labiofam.
Dr Parker also noted that the state needs rapid diagnosis test kits, environmental sanitation campaigns to fight malaria.
Explaining that the introduction of the simple strategy used earlier, has assisted the state government in ensuring the reduction of malaria, he added that these measures put together by the Amaechi-led government ranked the state government as number one in implementing the malaria control strategies in 2009 and 2012 respectively, despite the short fall in 2011.
While urging residents of the state to collectively join the fight against the malaria infection, Dr Parker said environmental sanitation is key, which will be top on the agenda at the Town-Hall meeting with ECOWAS on Thursday.
The town hall meeting on malaria is the first of its kind in the health sector of Rivers State and it is expected to address a lot of national health issues in West Africa.