The Association of Patent and Proprietary Medicine Dealers (APPMED) has raised the alarm over the devastating effects of malaria on Nigerian families.
The association’s president, Reverend Kubiat Akpan, raised the alarm during a public enlightenment campaign against malaria in Lagos.
In a statement made available to journalists on Thursday, Akpan said medicine dealers, as frontline healthcare providers, witnessed the toll of the disease on families daily.
He described malaria as a major public health challenge requiring the collective intervention of individuals, organisations and governments.
Akpan pledged that members of the association across the country would intensify efforts to reduce the prevalence of the disease.
“As medicine dealers on the frontlines of healthcare delivery across every ward and local government in Nigeria, we see the devastating impact of malaria on families every single day,” he said.
“When we align community health practitioners with the passion of our youth, malaria will have no hiding place in Nigeria.”
He said the fight against malaria could not be left to the government alone, stressing that patent medicine dealers, who are often the first point of contact in many communities, had critical roles to play in early detection, appropriate referral and public education.
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The APPMED president added that sustained public enlightenment, youth engagement and community-based action were essential to winning the fight against malaria.
As part of its commitment to the national anti-malaria campaign, the association recently endorsed the Geneith Health Competition, a 1 billion youth-driven malaria awareness initiative organised by CEOAFRICA and sponsored by Geneith Pharmaceuticals Limited.
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