The Bauchi State government has begun distributing 4.4 million insecticide-treated mosquito nets to control malaria.

Governor Bala Mohammed, who inaugurated the distribution exercise on Monday in Bauchi, said his administration was working to increase access to the treated nets to reduce the burden of malaria.

He said this would guarantee the well-being of the citizens.

The governor restated his administration’s commitment to complement the efforts of the development partners in the fight against malaria through an increase in budgetary allocation to the health sector from 13 to 17 per cent.

Mr Mohammed said the exercise would run from June 21 to 30 across the 20 local government areas of the state, adding that about 27,000 ad hoc staff would be deployed for the distribution exercise.

Also, a representative of the Nigeria Mission Director, United States Agency for International Develop (USAID), Kola Sheniyi, expressed satisfaction with the state government’s commitment.

Mr Sheniyi, who spoke on behalf of the donor agencies, described malaria’s effects on people’s lives as devastating. 

He stressed the need for households to take advantage of the exercise to enhance their health status.

He reiterated the commitment of the donor agencies to introduce more interventions in the state.

The exercise was being implemented in collaboration between the state government and development partners such as the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Against Malaria Foundation and Break Through Action Nigeria (BA-N). 

(NAN)