The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated anti-malarial drugs worth hundreds of thousand of naira to Mashi local government area of Katsina State.
The drugs were for seasonal malaria chemo prevention and would be administered to babies between the ages of three months and 59 months.
Speaking during the distribution of the drugs, Chief of Staff at Katsina Government House, Salisu Yusuf Majigiri said the state was winning the war against malaria.
According to him, government has been consistent in the free drugs programme and distribution of free long lasting insecticide-treated nets. [eap_ad_2] Majigiri, a native of Mashi, urged nursing mothers to visit health centres where the drugs would be distributed in order to access them upon payment of a token.
He insisted that the donation and support given to the state by the Gates Foundation and other development partners were in line with the state government’s determination to reposition the state.
He lauded the support of the Gates Foundation and charged health personnel to ensure the drugs were judiciously utilised for purposes they were meant.
In an interview with our correspondent, the Mashi LGA malaria prevention officer, Suleiman Sani Mashi, said the Gates Foundation also provided training and equipment worth N700, 000 to health personnel in the area.
“This is a boost to the sustained fight against malaria and we will ensure that the drugs are administered properly so as to derive the maximum benefits,” he stated. (Leadership)[eap_ad_3]
