Consistent with the goals established by World Health Organization (WHO)'s Global Technical Strategy for Malaria 2016-2030 (GTS), and in accordance with the Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating and Sustaining Malaria Elimination signed in 2017 for a malaria-free South-East Asia Region by 2030, countries in the Region have made enormous and gratifying progress. The Region has the steepest decline in malaria burden among all WHO regions in recent years.
To attain the regional goal of a South-East Asia free of malaria by 2030 remains elusive unless strategies are re-thought and efforts are reinforced. Being the only region to reach almost all GTS milestones for 2020, it is time to review and re-think strategy and action with the resolute aim of achieving regional malaria elimination goal.
The meeting was attended by Dr Dipendra Raman Singh, Director General, Department of Health Services, and Dr Krishna Poudel, Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control Division.
The discussion focused on the challenges that the country is currently facing for malaria elimination interventions: imported malaria, radical cure of vivax malaria, governance, and program management in the new federal structure. Dr Dipendra Raman Singh emphasized that surveillance system strengthening and timely action responses will enhance the significant progress towards malaria elimination by 2025.
Dr Krishna Poudel added that the introduction of community-based malaria testing will improve the malaria case finding among the migrant and mobile workers, as well as disease vulnerable and most marginalized populations in the country.
The meeting was also attended by WHO Representative to Nepal, Dr. Rajesh Sambhajirao Pandav, and the Communicable Disease Unit in WHO, Country Office for Nepal.