Dosso, Niger, 4 April 2018 – The West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), from 2 to 4 April 2018, organized an evaluation and planning meeting for cross-border activities, involving Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, as past of the organizational activities for the chemoprevention of seasonal malaria (CSM).
The objective of this three-day meeting was meant to support the beneficiary countries of the project on Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger), towards the planning and efficient implementation of the harmonized strategies for the control of malaria and NTDs along the borders.
More specifically, the meeting aimed at: (i) contributing towards the preparations and implementation of the Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria (CSM) campaigns, (ii) contributing to the planning and implementation of cross-border activities (iii) holding discussions on collaboration among cross-border health districts to improve disease surveillance, including malaria and NTDs, and (iv) discussing the role of Rapid Task Forces (RTF) in the management of public health events along the cross-border areas.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Niger chaired the opening ceremonies. With him were the representative of the Director General of WAHO, the Chief Director and the Deputy Chief Director of the Administration of the Dosso region, as well as the Deputy Regional Director of public health of Dosso.
In his welcome address, Mr. Assoumana Amadou, Chief Director of the Dosso regional administration, expressed joy for the choice of Dosso to host this cross-border meeting. He thereafter warmly welcomed participants from sister countries, Burkina Faso and Mali, and wished them a pleasant stay in the legendary city of Djermakoye (Dosso).
The representative of the Director General of WAHO Mr. Sani ALI, health professional in charge of planning, expressed WAHO’s gratitude to the government of Niger for accepting to host the meeting and for the constant support the organization has received towards the accomplishment of its mission. He highlighted the relevance of the M/NTD project in the improving collaboration among the regions and cross-border districts and they need to harmonize the strategies and cross-border activities of the CSM campaigns.
In his opening speech, Dr RANAOU Abaché, Director General of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Niger reminded participants of the objectives of the workshop. He underscored the fact that malaria control as well as the strategies developed to control malaria and neglected tropical diseases in the Sahel were a priority. He therefore invited stakeholders to engage in fruitful discussions and better cross-border collaboration. Finally, he commended the World Bank, together with WAHO, in supporting the three countries of the Sahel towards the implementation of the project activities.
Dr Ranaou, before declaring the meeting open, also insisted on its timeliness in strengthening the friendly and brotherly relations among the three countries.
The meeting brought together members of the cross-border sub-committee, national project Coordinators of the three countries, M/NTD Coordinators and regional Directors of Health of cross-border regions of each country. Representatives of each border health district and local authorities were also present. There were 70 in total.
During three days of deliberations, each country presented (1) this status of implementation of the recommendations of the previous cross-border meeting, which was held in Bobo-Dioulasso in March 2017, (2) the cross-border activities that where completed during the 2017 season and the results achieved as well as the strategies/activities to effectively cover the cross-border areas during the campaigns by level; the group work on the summary of cross-border activities to be jointly implemented among the regions.
Participants/countries also worked on micro planning of cross-border activities to be carried out, by level and jointly, during the campaigns.
At the end of the deliberations, five (05) key recommendations were formulated, comprising three (03) to countries (01) to WAHO and (01) to be jointly implemented:
There was a reminder about the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases project in the Sahel and the rationale for the meeting on the evaluation and planning of cross-border activities among Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger within the framework of organizing mass treatment campaigns for neglected tropical diseases:
Within the framework of its priority development interventions against extreme poverty and for the promotion of shared prosperity, the World Bank (WB) decided, in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), to invest in the health sector through, among others, the implementation of the Malaria and Neglected Tropical Diseases project in the Sahel. This is a regional project covering three sahelian ECOWAS member countries (Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger).
The project involves national interventions to be implemented by the countries and a regional dimension for the coordination and implementation of regional activities under the responsibility of WAHO. The project will be implemented through tested regional strategies for malaria and NTDs control, based on regional best practices and WHO recommendations. National and cross-border interventions will be implemented in order to strengthen the strategies for controlling malaria and NTDs in the cross-border areas where prevalence and transmission of the diseases is highest and access to services lowest.
Hence the establishment of cross-border committees bringing together district health workers, local authorities, NGOs and community-based organizations as well as local community leaders. These committees are responsible for planning, coordinating and implementing interventions as well as monitoring and evaluation activities involving two or several districts on both sides of the border (whether they are national borders or between districts or provinces), since the areas of cross-border movements are often overpopulated and has a lot of traffic. It therefore appears indispensable for the representatives from both sides of the border to meet together and jointly plan the activities in order to determine how to cover the localities situated on both sides of the border. This will before involve designing strategies that will enable the community to benefit from prevention and treatment services against malaria and NTDs on both sides of the border.
In this regard, WAHO, pursuant to regional mission to coordinate interventions under the project, and with the view to supporting countries to prepare for Mass Treatment campaigns against Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) and Chemoprevention of Seasonal Malaria (CSM), proposes to organize this meeting to evaluate and plan the cross-border activities along each board with a view to organizing is synchronized mass treatment campaign NTDs and CSM.
Article submitted by WAHO Communications Unit_HHK_040418
