The Lagos State Government says it has harnessed digital health technology to accelerate malaria elimination in the state.

Professor Akin Abayomi, Lagos State Commissioner for Health, announced the launch of the Pathway to Malaria Pre-Elimination & Digitization Programme that hopes to reduce malaria prevalence to below 1% by integrating real-time electronic reporting systems, improving diagnostic accuracy, and enhancing public-private partnerships.

The programme, Professor Abayomi says, is a crucial step toward achieving malaria pre-elimination in Lagos by integrating digital health solutions to optimise malaria surveillance and case management.

Through a collaboration with Maisha Meds, a digital health platform, Lagos State will deploy real-time electronic malaria reporting systems across public and private health facilities. This technology ensures swift and accurate data collection, enabling more effective monitoring and response to malaria outbreaks.

“A key pillar of the Pathway to Malaria Pre-Elimination and Digitization Programme is the integration of digital health solutions to optimize malaria surveillance and case management,” the Lagos State Commissioner for Health says.

The initiative also promotes the use of digital diagnostic tools to improve accuracy in malaria testing. Currently, many patients in Lagos receive anti-malarial treatment without proper testing, leading to misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment.

The programme mandates compulsory Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDTs) before any malaria treatment is administered, ensuring that only confirmed cases receive anti-malarial drugs. This approach will reduce the misuse of antibiotics, a major driver of drug resistance.

“The new programme mandates compulsory Rapid Diagnostic Testing (RDTs) before any malaria treatment is administered. This initiative will ensure that only confirmed malaria cases receive anti-malarial treatment,” Professor Abayomi adds.

A significant portion of malaria cases in Lagos are treated outside government hospitals. To address this, the programme integrates community pharmacies, patent medicine vendors, and private hospitals into the state’s malaria control network.

The Lagos State Government says it is working closely with the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN) and the National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) to standardise treatment protocols across all healthcare providers.

“Whether a patient seeks treatment at a public hospital, private clinic, or neighbourhood pharmacy, they will receive the same high-quality malaria diagnosis and treatment based on the state’s guidelines,” the Commissioner explains.

He adds that the programme aims to change public perception of fever and malaria diagnosis. Many Lagos residents self-diagnose malaria and purchase anti-malarial drugs without testing. Moving forward, every fever must be properly diagnosed before treatment. This behavioural shift is crucial for reducing misdiagnosis and drug resistance.

He adds that the initiative integrates malaria care into Lagos State’s Health Insurance Scheme, Ilera Eko, ensuring the affordability and accessibility of malaria treatment. Registered enrollees can receive malaria tests and treatment at little or no cost, reducing the financial burden on families and encouraging prompt healthcare-seeking behavior.

“This means that registered enrollees can receive malaria tests and treatment at little or no cost, reducing the financial burden on families and encouraging prompt healthcare-seeking behaviour,” Professor Abayomi adds.