Odisha Govt Inks MoU With MNM To Speed Up Malaria Elimination Drive

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malaria No More (MNM) to eliminate the disease from the state. The partnership also included Prayatna, an organisation implementing the MNM India programme.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Special Secretary, Department of Health & Family Welfare, Ajit Kumar Mohanty; Public Health Director Nirajnan Mishra.

MNM has been supporting the Odisha government since 2018 to strengthen the state’s malaria control and elimination programme, offering technical, strategic, implementation, advocacy, and innovation support.

This new MoU marks the strength of the existing partnership between MNM and the state government, with an extended partnership period of 5 years, sources said on Tuesday.

Over the next 5 years, MNM seeks to build on and enhance the previous MoU by expanding operational geography to cover additional parts of Koraput and Malkangiri – two of the most malaria-endemic districts of the country.

The extended partnership will also focus on integration of newer tools and innovative technology, including advanced data reporting, management, and analysis tools; strengthening of inter-sectoral and inter-departmental coordination for a concerted and collaborative effort; and improving the entomological capacity of the state.

Speaking on the partnership, Dr. Ajit Mohanty said the partnership will further accelerate the malaria elimination drive initiated by the Odisha government, which has already exhibited its commitment by drastically reducing the caseload.

The support of Malaria No More will further add to these intensified efforts with district-specific requirements. The services of Malaria Sathee, Malaria Doot at inaccessible, cut-off areas of Koraput and Malkangiri is highly commendable.

Niranjan Mishra said eliminating Malaria is an achievable goal and the state government putting and leading all its best efforts in India to address it through district-specific elimination strategy, Interdepartmental coordination, technology, and other newer interventions.

Director Global Policy and Advocacy, Malaria No More, Anuradha Khanal said India will pave the way for global malaria elimination solutions, as it has in the past for diseases like polio. Odisha being one of the highest malaria endemic states of the country, will be critical in achieving this effort. The extension of the existing partnership will further our ambition and help us support India’s aspiration of eliminating malaria from the country by 2030, she said.

Country Director of Malaria No More India, Pratik Kumar said the collaboration is an effort to fight the disease in one of the most endemic zones of the nation, supporting the vision of a malaria-free country by 2030.