Improve the capacity of malaria programs to make services available, accessible and acceptable for all individuals at risk of malaria.

 

In May 2019, the World Health Assembly called for accelerated progress towards Universal Health Coverage, with a focus on poor, vulnerable and marginalized in society. It is an admirable ambition, but an impossible one unless we tackle the resurgent threat of malaria. Malaria claims the lives of more than 400,000 people each year, largely in Africa. After an unprecedent period of success between 2000 and 2016, when more than 7 million lives were saved, progress against malaria has stalled. High-burden countries have seen an increase in the number of malaria cases. Children under the age of five, pregnant women, refugees and populations affected by conflicts and natural disasters are at higher risk. Getting back on-track in the fight against malaria requires a greater emphasis on the specific country contexts where malaria programs are deployed and on the characteristics of different population groups in need of healthcare services, in order to leave no one behind. It means understanding how poverty, social norms, gender inequality, legal status and language barriers affect individuals and their ability to access and utilize prevention, diagnosis and treatment of malaria, as well as basic healthcare more broadly. To address these challenges, the Malaria Matchbox has been designed to improve the capacity of malaria programs to make services available, accessible and acceptable for all individuals at risk of malaria. Its name gives a sense of how it works – casting light on populations most at risk of not being reached by standard malaria interventions, and those without or with limited access to care. It helps match these needs with national malaria programs, engaging communities in policy-making and ignite more effective, integrated and multi-sector action with a person-centred approach. By ensuring that no one is being left behind, irrespective of who and where they are, and considering the root causes of health inequality across different contexts, populations and groups of individuals, the Malaria Matchbox is part of a growing arsenal at the disposal of countries to help them get back on track in the fight against malaria. To date, the Malaria Matchbox tool has been piloted at state level in Meghalaya, India - and at national level in Niger and in Guinea Bissau. By supporting the roll-out of the Malaria Matchbox, authorities from these countries embarked on a ground-breaking way of thinking about how malaria programs could improve effectiveness to reach populations with physically and financially accessible healthcare services that are also culturally appropriate and person-centred. Political commitment and high-level leadership are essential for ending malaria and reaching the broader SDGs to ensure a better future for our next generation. In April 2019, while celebrating World Malaria Day in Paris, we had the pleasure to express or appreciation to the First Lady of Niger, Her Excellency Madame Aissata Issoufou Mahamadou, for her engagement in the implementation of the Malaria Matchbox in Niger, and her leadership in promoting the principle of health services for all. We trust that more countries will be inspired by the examples of India, Niger and Guinea Bissau in piloting Malaria matchbox and join us in the global fight against malaria.