AGA malaria control programme receives a boost

(Graphic Business)
THE integrated malaria control programme developed by AngloGold Ashanti since 2006, and implemented at the Obuasi mine and its environs, has proven successful in the fight against the deadly illness.
The programme, which has earned global recognition is in partnership with the Ghana Health Service (GHS), through the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) as well as the Obuasi Municipal Assembly.
It is worthy to note that the model is now being rolled out to AngloGold Ashanti’s other operations in West and East Africa.
Dubbed the Obuasi Malaria Control Programme, the initiative has become so successful that it is being adopted as a model for the Global Fund (GF) with a grant of US$138 million for the next five years. The slogan adopted by AngloGold for its malaria control programme is “Controlling Malaria is Our Passion, Saving Lives is Our Goal”.
AngloGold is said to be the first African and second global private sector recipient of such a Global Fund to fight malaria in Africa.
The Global Fund is a donor fund with its headquarters in Geneva and funded by governments and large foundations dedicated to funding programmes to fight HIV and AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis (TB). With the expansion of the programme to those 40 districts by early next year, 3,800 people are expected to be recruited in the beneficiary communities.
As a recipient of a US$138 million grant, the National Malaria Control Department of AngloGold Ashanti would extend the programme from the Obuasi Municipality and its environs to those 40 more districts in the three northern regions and in some coastal towns Ghana. To achieve its target, the AngloGold would establish three zonal offices at Obuasi as well as Wa and Tamale, in addition to its national headquarters at Obuasi . To enhance its research activities, the company has put in place plans to establish insectary laboratory at Obuasi and Navrongo.
The Obuasi Malaria Control Centre serves primarily as the headquarters for the Obuasi programme, but also functions as a training centre for malaria control interventions at other AngloGold Ashanti operations, as well as a satellite research centre for use by academic and governmental agencies.
The Global Fund grant came after the government of Ghana has applied for $160 million in 2008 to roll out the programme in Ghana and with approval from the Fund’s committee in Geneva in January 2009. As part of the agreement, AngloGold Ashanti will serve as the principal recipient and the implementing agency of the integrated malaria control programme which involve mainly Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programme.
Apart from the IRS, other interventions adopted are the supply of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and repellents; control of mosquito breeding through the use of larvicide and environmental management and also the use of anti-malarial drugs. People within the communities are also educated on how to protect themselves from getting the disease.
In all, IRS is said to have the most impact in reducing the incidence of malaria. IRS entail the spraying of insecticide on the interior walls of all the structures/buildings in the targeted area. There are reports to indicate that residual insecticide remain active on a sprayed surface including walls, under tables etc. for about six months after spraying and so any mosquito alighting on the sprayed surface and comes into contact with the insecticide will pick up the lethal dose and die within a short period.
The process is most effective since the malaria vector mosquito which is the anopheles is an indoor biting and dwelling mosquito which rests on walls.

OBJECTIVES
Speaking to the Graphic Business in Accra, the AngloGold Ashanti Malaria Control Programme Director, Mr Steve Knowles said the programme’s initial objective was to achieve a 50 per cent reduction in the incidence of malaria in two years but as at September 2007, reported malaria cases had declined by 75 per cent, with an average reduction of more than 5000 cases per month. Project costs, according to Mr Knowles were $ 1.7 million for the first year, with an annual budget of $1.3million thereafter.
With reduction of the incidence of malaria, it is also on record that the programme had helped in reducing absenteeism from the workplace, improved on school attendance by about 70 per cent, among other achievement. Evidence as to how successful the programme has been, could be gathered by looking at hospital statistics and also workplace as well as school attendance books.
For a confirmation a check through a report from the Obuasi Malaria Control Department indicated that “the programme has not only reduced the burden of malaria in the community, increased school attendance and won the gratitude of the community but has also reduced absenteeism at the mines, increased productivity and reduced the cost of malaria to the employees and dependants”.

INTERVENTIONS
The project intervention area, which covers the whole of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, comprises some 35,000 dwellings. This is particularly relevant to the Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS) programme, an essential component of any malaria control programme and the one intervention which has been shown to have the greatest effect on malaria vector populations and malaria incidence reduction.
As indicated earlier, the programme has received international recognition, including a commendation from the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as an example of global excellence, and in conjunction with AngloGold Ashanti’s work on HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis won three awards at the ABSA Healthcare Initiative Awards in association with the Pan African Healthcare Congress.
It was therefore not surprising when Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa paid a courtesy call at the offices of the company in Accra as part of his visit to Ghana few days ago.

UBANTU SPIRIT
Archbishop Desmond Tutu described AngloGold Ashanti as a mining company, which is “living in the ubantu spirit”, saying, AngloGold Ashanti was investing in the people and in the communities because it wants “a happier people, healthier people and more productive people”.
The Archbishop said, “one of the sayings in our country is Ubantu - the essence of being human. Ubantu speaks particularly about the fact that you canot exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness.
“You cannot be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality - Ubantu - you are known for your generosity. We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole world. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity”, he said.
He described the company’s malaria control programme and investment in people as exemplary, which must be emulated by other corporate bodies operating on the African continent.
The Senior Vice President of Anglogold Ashanti ( Ghana ), Dr Toby Bradbury said AngloGold Ashanti , was a leading mining company with its roots firmly anchored in Africa, as a result of the combination of the assets of the former AngloGold of South Africa and the former Ashanti Goldfields Company of Ghana and expressed the hope that the company would continue to support people in the communities it worked in.