Your Excellency, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Hon’ble Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Your Excellency, Dr Culwick Togamana, Hon’ble Minister of Health, Solomon Islands; Your Excellency, Dr Atonio Lalabalavu, Hon’ble Minister of Health, Fiji; Professor Dante Saksono Harbuwono, Hon’ble Vice Minister of Health, Republic of Indonesia; Your Excellency, Dr Zaliha Binti Mustafa, Hon’ble Minister of Health, Malaysia; Professor Manik Saha, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tripura, Government of Tripura; Dr R. Lalthangliana, Hon’ble Minister, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Mizoram; Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr Vinod Paul, Member, NITI Aayog; Shri Rajiv Manjhi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr Sarthak Das, CEO, Asia Pacific Leaders’ Malaria Alliance (APLMA); Experts, partners, colleagues,
My greetings to friends of elimination of malaria from across the Asia Pacific.
Today, I will address the ‘Three P’s’ of our mission – progress, pressures and the path forward.
And I will highlight one single, overarching message, which is also the theme of this year’s World Malaria Day: Invest, innovate and implement for zero malaria.
First, let’s look at progress, which in our Region has been guided by our seventh Flagship Priority, identified in 2014 – eliminating neglected tropical diseases and other diseases on the verge of elimination.
At the end of 2020, the WHO South-East Asia Region was the only WHO region to meet each of the Global Technical Strategy milestones – that is, a 40% reduction in malaria case incidence and a 40% reduction in malaria mortality compared to 2015.
In 2021, five countries of the Region were included in WHO’s E-2025 initiative: Bhutan, DPR Korea, Nepal, Thailand and Timor-Leste.
Maldives and Sri Lanka have maintained their malaria-free status, certified in 2015 and 2016, respectively – a tremendous achievement.
I now turn to pressures, beginning with financing.
Since 2010, overall funding in the Region has decreased by 36%, mostly on account of reductions in global support.
In 2021, domestic expenditures made up 65% of total funding, with per person funding significantly varied, and not at all reflective of per capita burdens.
The next challenge I highlight is service disruptions, which in 2021 resulted in an estimated increase of cases in the Region of some 7.7%.
We must also contend with reduction in the efficacy of artemisinin-based combination therapies, especially in the Greater Mekong Subregion, as well as resistance to pyrethroids.
Finally, I note the challenge of cross-border transmission, which has been the focus of several WHO-led initiatives.
I now turn to the third ‘P’ – our path forward for success.
The WHO South-East Asia Region has five priorities.
First, strengthening capacity at the sub-national level.
Second, shifting attention to the peripheries, with a focus on cross-border collaboration and increased capacity for local response.
Third, ensuring adequate and sustained financing for malaria programmes.
Fourth, transforming surveillance into a core malaria intervention.
And fifth, accelerating high-impact innovations, not just in diagnostics and treatments, but also in service delivery.
Which brings me to my message: Together, we must invest, innovate and implement, with a focus on reaching the most vulnerable first.
Globally, children in the poorest households are five times more likely to be infected with malaria.
Malaria is also more prevalent among young children whose mothers have a lower level of education and live in rural areas.
Reaching these populations is critical for achieving the Global Technical Strategy and Sustainable Development Goal targets.
It is critical for delivering on our promise of achieving zero malaria for everyone, everywhere in our Region.
I thank the Government of India and APLMA – especially Dr Sarthak Das, the spirit behind this meeting – and reiterate WHO’s ongoing and unmitigated support, for a malaria-free future for all.
Thank you.