Odisha’s Health Minister unveils material for Malaria No More

The Honorable Health Minister of the Government of Odisha unveiled social behaviour change communication products created by Malaria No More India, in partnership with the Government of Odisha. 

The unveiling took place at Lok Seva Bhawan Office Chamber of Hon’ble Health and Family Welfare Minister, Odisha Secretariat. The localized IEC/BCC materials were designed for dissemination at the last mile to enable improved service delivery by health workers and the adoption of desired prevention and personal protection by the community. The materials included – a ready reckoner on fundamentals of field supervision for both ASHA and Malaria Saathis, a Tin Board containing prevention and personal protection messaging and featuring Dadi – MNM India’s flagship awareness campaign’s protagonist – and Nidhi Mousa – Government of Odisha’s health messaging icon.

 “I am happy to unveil the local and need based IEC/ BCC tool along with ASHA and Sathee Ready reckoner, which has been developed by MNM India for effectively implementing the last mile services on Malaria in Odisha. The Govt of Odisha partnership with Malaria No More India for strengthening the initiative further, interventions with sustainability and scalability is much appreciated and I am hopeful Odisha will be the first state to achieve the drive on MALARIA MUKT BHARAT,” Shri Naba Kisore Das, Honorable Health Minister stated. “Malaria No More India as a credible partner of Govt of Odisha needs to focus and support Pvt Health Providers engagement, strengthening Inter sectoral and inter departmental convergence, mobilizing various stakeholders, technology and tools to eliminate malaria in Odisha,” he added.

 The unveiling event witnessed the presence of key government representatives including Dr Niranjan Mishra, Director of Public Health, Govt of Odisha; Dr Ajit Mohanty, Special Secretary, Govt. of Odisha; and Shri N.B. Dhal, Principal Secretary, Health and FW dept, Govt of Odisha & Dr. Shubhashisha Mohanty SPO, State NVBDCP were among the invited guests.

Kelly Willis, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives, Malaria No More US, also attended the unveiling event. Commenting on the launch she stated, “Malaria No More has been a proud partner of the Government of Odisha in its elimination drive for the past 4 years. We are committed to supporting Odisha in achieving its goal of eliminating the disease and such social behaviour change products are a testament to our sustained commitment. These materials will help enhance health system capacity and nudge desired community behaviours, moving the needle towards malaria elimination at the last mile.”

Malaria No More is an international NGO that envisions a world where no one dies from a mosquito bite Led by an experienced Indian team, Malaria No More’s work in India began in 2016 after an extensive landscape evaluation to inform how to best tailor the program. In 2018, Malaria No More set up India’s first Strategic Support Unit (SSU) to combat malaria in Odisha – one of India’s highest malaria burden states. Since its inception, the SSU has been providing technical and advocacy support to the Government of Odisha. 

 “As a partner to the Government of Odisha, Malaria No More is committed to driving change and leading the state towards malaria elimination. We are certain that these materials will enable desired behaviours amongst the community and upskill last-mile health service providers. We believe our efforts in the state will serve as an example for other states to adopt and implement malaria elimination strategies,” said Pratik Kumar, Country Director, Malaria No More India.

MNM has set up 2 District Program Management Units (DPMUs) in Koraput and Malkangiri – two districts that contribute significantly to the malaria burden of the state. They have close to 400 health workers, working at the last mile across these districts.