With India having one of the largest burden of malaria in the world despite being a leading producer and exporter of anti-malaria medicines, international health experts have called for greater private sector investment to overcome the menace in the country.
“‘With 95 per cent of India’s population living in malaria-endemic areas and an estimated one million cases reported by the Government each year, malaria continues to take a significant economic toll on the country,” said Herve Verhoosel, Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Representative at the United Nations in New York, at a meeting with Union Health Secretary lov Verma here recently.
The representatives at the meeting stressed India’s role to contribute to broader efforts against the disease, including through national corporate engagement initiatives, as a strong member of the G20 and the BRICS emerging market countries, as well as a leading producer and exporter of anti-malarial medicines.“We have a tremendous opportunity to leverage the power of a booming economy in India to unlock resources and scale-up malaria-control interventions that will save lives and foster greater development for all,” Verhoosel said.
“I call on the private sector to join the Government and civil society to help scale-up efforts and overcome biological challenges that threaten progress,” he added. With 22 malaria-endemic countries in the Asia-Pacific, the region is home to over two billion people at risk of infection and accounts for approximately 32 million cases of malaria infection and 47,000 associated deaths each year.
According to the Ministry, malaria deaths in India have been reduced by nearly half in the past decade, largely due to increased control efforts, a shift in drug policy and greater community participation and industry engagement. “As the largest supplier of quality-assured Artemisinin-based combination therapies approved by the World Health Organisation, India plays an enormous role in broader efforts against malaria,” said Professor Paul lalvani, Dean and Director of the Empower School of Health.
“With five Indian manufacturers responsible for the production and export of hundreds of millions of top-line anti-malarials in Africa and Asia, India stands to play a critical role in efforts to contain and overcome resistance to these drugs,” he said.