A Media Coalition comprising of selected journalists and editors, has been launched at Mensvic Hotel in Accra by the Ghana Health Service under the umbrella of the “Zero Malaria Starts with Me” campaign to eliminate malaria by 2030.

The Coalition, which aimed to enhance the quality and quantity of malaria coverage, and support broader advocacy efforts, was launched at a workshop in Accra organized by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP), in collaboration with the African Media and Malaria Research Network and Speak Up Africa, an advocacy and communication Organisation based in Senegal.

Dr Anthony Adofo Ofosu, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), interview with OTEC News’ Mrs. Kate Appiah- Boateng  on  Thursday October 1, 2020 congratulated the media for their critical role played during the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Ghana, which he said put the government and all stakeholders on their toes to implement strong measures to halt the spread of the virus.

He said the “Zero Malaria Starts with Me” fully acknowledges and embraces the important role that the media played in advocacy and communication, saying malaria remained one of the greatest public health challenges, and that the media Coalition in Ghana would bring the country one step closer to making the end malaria vision a reality.

He said Although Ghana had made significant progress against malaria, achieving a decline in the mortality rate by 28 and 39 percentages respectively in 2010 and 2017, the country still suffered from an estimated 6.5 million cases and 11,000 deaths annually.

Dr Ofosu stated that in 2019, there were over six million cases of malaria at the Outpatient department, attributing this to the fact that despite the country’s achievement of over 70 per cent of the Insecticide Treated Net (ITN) coverage, only 50 per cent of people who owned these nets slept in them, leading to widespread exposure to mosquitoes.

This, he said placed a huge burden on individuals, families, communities, businesses, and health services, with an estimated cost of about 32 billion dollars over the next 10 years.

The workshop brought together media personnel from across the regions, who nominated their Regional Executives, with two National Co-Chairpersons coming from Greater Accra.

The Members of the Coalition, made a firm declaration of their commitment towards the elimination of malaria in Ghana by the year 2030, by championing the fight, taking responsibility for their roles through proactive, regular, accurate, and high-quality media output of news on malaria.