Study finds National Health Insurance must completely cover malaria

Research by the Department of Community Health, Kwame Nkurmah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has shown Artesunate-Amodiaquine to be effective in the treatment of malaria in children.

More than 90 per cent of children aged between six and 59 months administered with pre-packs of the drug in 20 communities in the Asokwa-Sub-Metropolitan area of Kumasi Metropolis responded well to the treatment.

The research was carried out between 2005 and 2009 as part of the Department’s project on urban Home Management of Malaria (HMM) and was sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The objective was to determine household cost of managing malaria in an urban setting and how to improve access of both mothers and children to appropriate malarial treatment.

The Rev Dr Edmund Nii Laryea Browne, Principal Project Investigator of the HMM, said it was important to ensure that malaria, like Tuberculosis is completely covered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

He said by so doing, parents, who are unable to afford the cost of malaria drugs would have free treatment.

Rev Dr Browne said this would prevent children from dying just for the lack of funds.

Community Medicine Distributors (CMDs’) including chemical sellers, hairdressers, teachers and assembly members were trained to aid the administration of the drugs during the research.

Source: GNA