The Chief Executive Officer, Geneith Pharmaceutical Limited, Emmanuel Umenwa, has stated that battling malaria in Nigeria demands innovation and youth-driven ideas.
He disclosed this over the weekend during the unveiling of the Geneith Health Competition which aims to mobilise secondary school students and undergraduates while leveraging their enthusiasm to own the fight against malaria through community-level malaria advocacy and intervention across the country.
Umenwa further described malaria as a pressing health concern in Nigeria, citing a World Health Organisation (WHO) report which showed the country accounted for 27 per cent of global malaria cases and 31 per cent of malaria-related deaths.
He emphasised that combating malaria was beyond funding and access to healthcare as the initiative goes beyond corporate social responsibility.
“Our target is also to reignite our passion for the battle against malaria as this will involve rejuvenating our collective commitment to the cause, especially among our youth, who are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but also the change-makers of today.
“We do this by motivating them to take action. We will be empowering them to become champions of public health, who will assist in spreading the message of prevention and awareness in their communities,” he stated.
He buttressed that malaria continues to impose significant socio-economic burdens, particularly on vulnerable populations, including children and pregnant women.
Hence, the competition organised by CEO Africa and sponsored by Geneith Pharmaceutical Limited, with support from Coatal Forte Softgel, seeks to harness the creativity and innovative strategies for malaria prevention by engaging participants in public health advocacy, project design, and community outreach, with a cash prize pool exceeding N400 million and gift items to the tune of N600 million.
On his part, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate, represented by the Director of Public Health, Dr Godwin Ntadom, said ”Malaria remains both a health and developmental challenge, with emotional, economic, and infrastructural implications.”
According to him, “Malaria is not just a health issue; it’s an infrastructural and environmental problem, and the consequences could be emotional, economic, and several others.’
“These are the things that impact us all. And I must commend you for the efforts of your organization, which is great and laudable.
This is how sustainable health reform begins, from the ground up.”
Speaking on the competition format, the Managing Director, CEOAFRICA, Mr Cletus Ilobanafor, said it would be conducted nationwide and structured as a quiz competition with three categories: Junior Secondary School (JSS), Senior Secondary School (SSS), and Tertiary Institution.
“The first round will be online for the state level, after which winners will proceed to physical regional-level contests.
“From there, winners progress to the regional stage and then to the national finals. Only the top participant in each stage moves to the next.
According to him, the competition will run on a one-year cycle, with registration starting June 1,
“Also, a 14-member College of Assessors, drawn from various healthcare sectors, will oversee the process,” he stated.
Ilobonafor also detailed the prizes for the state through to national levels to range from N300,000 to N5 million for JSS category, N500,000 to N10 million for SSS category and N2.5 million to N15 million for tertiary category.
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