Govt turns to private players to fund its anti-malaria drive

THE GOVT CURRENTLY SPENDS MERE `500 CRORE ANNUALLY FOR ANTI-MALARIA INITIATIVES WHEREAS THE BUDGET SHOULD BE OVER `5,000 CRORE.

Reeling under severe fund shortage for its malaria elimination programmes, the government has roped in India’s biggest drugmaker Sun Pharma for monetary assistance and medicines.

Sun Pharma, which makes anti-malaria drug Synriam, is expected to sign a public-privatepartnership( PP P) on April 25.

“Detailed survey covering high malaria-prevalence states such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jharkhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir and North Eastern States is currently in progress to identify locations where this PPP initiative can be launched,” a senior health ministry official said. The PPPs are likely to run for over five years.

“Sun Pharma will be meeting government officials during the coming weekend for budgetary discussions and their plans to support the initiative,” said another official at the health ministry. Sun Pharma refused to comment. Sun Pharma is not alone. Earlier this month, Tata Trusts signed a pact with the Odisha government to eliminate Malaria from the state by 2030.

“The government currently spends mere `500 crore annually for anti-malaria initiatives whereas the budget should be over `5,000 crore. Hence, we can undertake domestic fund raising through private sector involvement only,” the official said.

According to a study done by the Institute of Economic Growth in 2014, the total economic burden due to malaria in India could be around `13,000 crore. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme puts the number of annual malaria cases in India at about 9.7 million, with around 40,297 deaths .