HEALTH
 
May 22, 2008
Bank boosts malaria drive
By David Tash Lumu
WEEKLY OBSERVER

As part of their on-going campaign to heighten anti-malaria drive in the country, Standard Chartered Bank last week donated 99,000 Perma nets to Mbarara residents and 11 bicycles to parish health inspectors to help them implement anti-malaria projects in the region.

The donation is part of the initiative to reach out to the most vulnerable parts of Uganda under the "Nets for Life" campaign, where the bank in partnership with Church of Uganda, will donate treated mosquito nets to communities and also teach people how to use these nets as part of the campaign to tame malaria.

"We started these projects three years ago and we have been distributing nets in Northern Uganda. And now we are in Ankole region to give back to the community…we have chosen malaria because it's the number one killer in our country," said Lamin Kemba Manjang, the Chief Executive Officer of the bank.

The head of the malaria drive in the Ministry of Health, Dr. John Bosco Rwakimari, who represented Minister of State for Health, Richard Nduhura said, "Malaria cases are decreasing and with the launch of the DDT campaign in the North combined with private sector initiatives to support government in combating malaria, the disease could be eradicated by 2015."

dtlumu@yahoo.com