Daily Times

As many as 10 malaria microscopy laboratories in the district are operating under Malaria Control Program (MCP) Sindh, out of which two are in tehsil Ratodero, four in tehsil Larkano, three in taluka Dokri and one in taluka Bakrani. It was learnt on Saturday on World Malaria Day. Microscopy is done in all cases coming with fever to Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and thus are diagnosed for malaria or otherwise. Cases diagnosed for malaria are followed up with WHO recommended treatment regimen. According to data obtained from District Health Office during calendar year 2019 total microscopies done were 166,783, out of which 4,163 were detected positive which amount to 3.7%. During first three months of 2019 total microscopy done was 38,978 out of which 139 cases were detected positive which comes to 0.4%.

Credible sources further said that in addition to MCP, Pakistan Lion Youth Council (PLYC) funded by Global Fund is also working since about three years in all public health facilities,(more than 65, of the district and the relevant staff collects/examines blood samples for malaria microscopy and followed up as per recommended protocol. Its statistics, however, could not be collected by this scribe.

These sources further disclosed that 20 out of 23 sanctioned posts of malaria superintendents are lying vacant in the province for the reason of no promotions made since more than 14 years which has crippled this vital section of the health care system. Out of three properly filled-in incumbents two are about to retire in a year or two on attaining the age of superannuation. Against those 20 vacant posts junior officials are working on acting-charge-basis which has ruined the concept of good governance and establishment of merit, sources alleged. If this state of affairs continued these junior ones would also retire on reaching 60 year’s age and then again blue eyed boys would again be posted by vested interests for their ulterior motives.

World Malaria Day is annually observed globally on 25th April. This year activities (seminar, health education sessions, awareness walks etc) to commemorate the day could not be arranged in Larkana due to lockdown restrictions as ban has been imposed on social gatherings everywhere. Meanwhile, poor residents used mosquito coils to keep their sleeping family away from mosquito bites. A pack of these coils was sold previously at Rs 50 which now is being sold at Rs 80 per pack due to acute shortage and non-supply from the manufacturers for lockdown said Seth Jai Kumar while talking to this Scribe. He said Finis liquid is also short and its rates have also hone sky-high which a poverty-stricken man cannot afford.

In Pakistan, malaria is the second most frequent clinically suspected disease entity after acute respiratory infection with 4.5 million probable cases reported from district health system public sector outpatient facilities in 2008, experts said. However, the estimated total number of malaria cases of 1.5 million cases per year is significantly smaller, which suggests a risk of erroneous treatment to about 3 million non-malaria cases, they added. Moreover, the confirmed cases of malaria during the same period were only 104 454, of which 70% were due to Plasmodium vivax and 30% to P. falciparum, these being the only two prevalent malaria parasite species in Pakistan.