On the eve of the World Malaria Day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday emphasised on the need for heightened focus on addressing the obstacles to health equity, gender equality and human rights in malaria responses.
Saima Wazed, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia, stressed on redoubling efforts to overcome challenges posed by malaria and ensure all individuals, irrespective of their socio-economic status or geographical location, have access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment services for the disease.
“Moreover, by leveraging digital technology, we can better understand the diverse health needs of populations, collect and analyse data and monitor progress in real-time, enabling us to identify and address health inequities through both proven interventions and innovation in service delivery,” Wazed said. “On World Malaria Day 2024, we unite under the theme ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’,” she said.
This theme, which is in sync with this year’s World Health Day theme — “My Health, My Right” — underscores the urgent need to address the stark inequities that persist in access to malaria prevention, detection and treatment services.
