Malaria No More organises workshop for PHPs on malaria education, management in Odisha

New Delhi: Malaria No More (MNM) organised a workshop for private healthcare providers (PHPs), educating them about the prevalence of malaria and the best practices to deal with it. The workshop was conducted in Koraput, one of the most high-burden districts of the state and will soon be organised in the district of Malkangiri.

During the workshop, the PHPs were trained on mechanisms to spot malaria cases and were made aware of the benefits of referring patients. Malaria prevention and infection-control methods were also discussed at length. An animated video to show the movement of malaria parasites from mosquitoes to humans was shown. The workshop included discussion, role-play, and examples for ease of understanding. Participants were also provided with referral cards on fever detection that can be filled and given back to Malaria Sathee/Doot to proceed with the next steps for medication and treatment.

A total of 189 PHPs attended the workshop. Sensitisation of informal private healthcare providers is one of the most important activities under the malaria elimination drive. Informal healthcare providers represent a substantial proportion of the healthcare delivery system in rural and tribal areas. Considering the significant role of this group in influencing the community, their involvement is being prioritised.

These two districts account for over 50 per cent of the state’s malaria burden. Malaria No More is consistently supporting the health infrastructure in these districts through a tripartite cadre of health workers.

Talking about the initiative, Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India said, “Because they work at the grassroots, PHPs will play a vital role in helping India achieve malaria elimination by 2030. We aim to instil a holistic approach to malaria elimination and believe training workshops help improve our intervention in the high-burden areas through direct engagement with PHPs. The success of this workshop, evidenced in the high participation of PHPs and their willingness to support malaria elimination, sets a great example for other states.”