Global group gives Kalinga malaria meds

TABUK, Kalinga – The Global Fund Movement against Malaria in this province has helped solve the problem of lack of anti-malaria medicines with its free medicine program that could help abate possible increase in the malaria cases and prevent fatalities caused by the dreaded illness in the future.

Global Fund Project staff Adela Tibangay shared how the project answered the problem of one patient from a private hospital here, who could not find anti-malaria medicines from drug stores.

When he approached the Global Fund Malaria Provincial Office, he was advised to go to the Rural Health Unit in his area and was given free medicines, Tibangay said.

Distribution of free complete doses for malaria is part of the movement’s program to eradicate malaria in the country, which is considered still a malaria-prone area in Asia, Tibangay noted.

The GFMPO has distributed coartem, primaquine, quinine and chloroquine to all RHUs in the province.

The project also provided RHUs with basic malaria smear facilities and trained one personnel on malaria test, Tibangay said.

According to Tibangay, the GFMPO is providing free medicines not only to patients smeared at RHUs, but also from other clinics and hospitals.