The effectiveness of the Competence Approach in the struggle against Malaria

Support from the Global Fund for Malaria has allowed a large number of insecticide treated bed nets to be distributed, increased access to prevention of malaria in pregnancy services and availability of more effective antimalarial drugs (Arthemether  + Lumefantrine) used for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria instead of chloroquin which has become less effective over the years. Community involvement and participation have also increased with stronger partnership at community level.

Everyone emphasizes, also, the exceptional commitment of the President of the Republic and of his government. Both have made the struggle against malaria a national ambition. The introduction of indoor residual spraying  by government, the institutionalisation of monthly cleaning exercises and the launching of Operation Eradicate Malaria all highlight national commitments in the fight against malaria.

“But giving people bednets and getting them to use them are two different things,” says Mr Malang Fofana, Manager of the National Malaria Control Programme. His colleague, Mrs Adama Jagne Sonko adds, “The National Malaria Control Programme alone can never eliminate malaria in this country. Community commitment is a vital key.”

In Essau, North West Bank Region, Regional Health Officer Mr. Baba Njie agrees. “We used to design programmes and to go to communities to give knowledge to them. But there were more and more malaria cases ..”

How did this improvement come about? According to Mr Baba Njie, “It all started two years ago when  the Nova Scotia Gambia (NSGA) team came to this region." This Canadian not-for-profit organisation works hand in hand with the National Malaria Control Programme.

The NSGA facilitators introduced the Malaria Competence approach to the Regional Health Team in a week. They showed them how to use the Self Assessment tool. M. Njie remembers, “As we were using it in communities, we could see them getting ownership of the malaria issue and of the information. And then we saw them making their own Action Plan to fight malaria."