Free mosquito nets distribution: Medicine after death

The population is waiting for the sharing of free mosquito nets in the fight against the all-time killer, Malaria, almost six months after the Cameroon Government announced their distribution.

The distribution of treated long-lasting mosquito nets is a purported Government health policy in the fight against Malaria, which remains the worst killer responsible for untimely deaths in tropical Africa.

The Malaria parasite is transmitted through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito which, scientists say, attacks victims mostly from midnight to the wee hours of the morning. Sleeping under mosquito nets, experts further hold, is the best and cheapest way to prevent Malaria.

Treated bed nets have a usefulness span of four years. Mosquito nets were last distributed in Cameroon four years ago (9 million nets were distributed in 2011 to a population of about 20 million).

In April 2015, the Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda, announced the distribution of free mosquito nets to citizens. After a census conducted in towns and villages across the country, to enlighten the distribution, the Ministry reportedly handed over the nets to be distributed, by way of contracts. The contractors apparently received the nets and payment and, like in other sectors, did not execute the contracts.

By not ensuring the distribution of the nets on time, the Government demonstrated negligence in its responsibility of ensuring good health for its citizens, while the citizens rights to good health has, thus, been abused.

According to the announcement, 12 million nets were to be distributed nationwide. The fight against Malaria is in the 6th of the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, which became the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, last September. It is believed that cutting down expenditure on treatment of Malaria by the use of mosquito nets can save funds that can be used to enhance the other MDGs within the family.

The expectant citizens were excited by the Public Health Minister’s announcement, given that it would coincide with the mosquito and Malaria peak season of June to September. But their anxiety started dying down as June came and passed, followed by July, and then August; no nets.

In early August this year, it was announced that 900,000 of the nets would be distributed in the Southwest Region. According to the announcement, distribution would commence in Buea on August 16.

The nets are yet to be received, as at October 20, 2015, within the dry season, which, naturally, exterminates mosquitoes. With the coming of the dry season, the bushes around homes that served as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, have either dried out or have been cleared of standing water in which mosquitoes breed.

Statistics collected from three hospitals randomly chosen in Buea, revealed that the number of consultations for Malaria dropped in the month of October, with the coming of the dry season.

In an investigation conducted by The Post in 100 homes in two localities in Buea, three homes had new impregnated nets in the Wonya-Emongo New Layout locality and one in the Sandpit neighbourhood.

Of the 50 homes visited in Wonya-Emongo, three homes said they had new treated bed nets. But these are homes that have had babies and their mothers were given the nets at the maternity.

Of the 50 homes visited in Quarter VII of Great Soppo, Buea, just one household head admitted using a new treated mosquito bed net, but said it was given to his wife at the maternity after she was delivered of their baby three months ago.

Some 84 homes said they were given tickets by household head count agents but have been waiting to receive the nets since August 16, the day of the head count in households for the distribution of the insecticidal bed nets officially began. Quarter VII residents said they have visited the Quarter Head several times, hoping to collect the promised bed nets, but haven’t had any response.

The Quarter Head, on his part, admitted that he received a letter notifying him of his role in the distribution of the nets in his Quarter, but is yet to receive them. He said he even had to put up a notice informing residents about the unavailability of the nets, because, they kept on trooping into his compound presenting tickets and demanding the nets.

The tickets indicate how many nets a home is entitled to – depending on the number of beds in that household. If they are two people in a home, they are given one net, with the understanding that they are using one bed. According to the nets-distribution logic, four people are entitled to two nets – with the understanding of two people to a bed and net, and so on.

Twelve out of the 50 families in Sandpit, headed mostly by shop-owners, said they do not even have tickets to collect the nets, because, they were in their shops at the time the head count agents came around.

A woman explained that she did not believe in door-to-door registration, because, not all homes are visited. She suggested that there should be a fixed location in every neighbourhood where people can register and collect the nets.

A household head who refused to be named observed that the registration and distribution should be carried out under the guidance of Quarter Heads who know the number of people in a household, in order to avoid situations where some people may collect more than enough nets and sell them on the black market.

Four other families in Quarter VII said they were not aware of the distribution of the nets.

However, as at October 20, most people said they had given up waiting for the distribution of the nets, expressing dissatisfaction with the situation. While some said they had lost their tickets, others said they had thrown their tickets away in desperation.

“The Government hardly lives up to its promises,” Mola Malafa of Wonya-Emongo averred.

“How can they be playing games with citizens on matters of health and life?” he asked adding that: “And I hear the project is supported by international organisations.”

Actually, the project is supported by the World Health Organisation, The Global Fund, IRESCO, Malaria No More, CCAM, Plan, MTN Foundation, Exxon Mobil, COTCO, UNICEF, Jhpiego, SANOFI, Clinton Foundation, ACMS, USAID, Leadership Management and Governance Project, OCEAC, CCA/SIDA, GPSC and so on.

Lartey Matike, a CISCO Certified Network Expert, living in the Bonduma neighbourhood of Buea, asserted: “I see the treated mosquito nets distribution campaign as a mere scam. How can people come to your home, get information from you, give you a ticket which they sign and ask you to sign, purporting to give you nets on a particular date, and never show up?” he quipped.

Matike, whose home has two beds, said he signed that he was to receive two nets and waited for the whole day on the appointed date but the nets distribution agents never showed up and have never shown up ever since.

A woman, who said she works for the Southwest Regional Delegation of Public Health, but refused to give her name for fear of reprisals, revealed that the treated mosquito nets were already available and that all that is left is the go-ahead from the Minister of Public Health.

She further revealed that the nets are stock-piled in hospitals and given, for now, only to pregnant women, as they and their babies are considered vulnerable.

A source close to the Cameroon Coalition Against Malaria, said he learnt that the treated nets distribution campaign was suspended because, the contractors that had to distribute the nets in the Southwest Region did not have any knowledge of the terrain, hence they were afraid of going afield.

He, nevertheless, said, like with other sectors, the failure was the consequence of awarding contracts to people based in Yaounde who did not have any knowledge of the hinterlands where they are supposed to execute their contracts.

He further disclosed that a meeting was recently held in Yaounde to better strategise on how the nets would be distributed in the different Regions.