The Ministry of Health and Social Security issued a draft resolution adopting the technical and operational guidelines of the National Program for the Prevention, Control and Elimination of Malaria, partially amending Resolution 2257 of 2011 and issuing other provisions .
Malaria is a disease that is closely linked to poverty and unmet basic needs. It mainly affects people who live in rural and hard-to-reach areas, where healthcare coverage is inadequate. In other countries, voluntary cooperation strategies have shown positive results in reducing morbidity by increasing access to diagnosis and treatment in remote communities.
In Colombia, it remains a public health problem with persistent endemicity, cyclical increases and avoidable deaths. It occurs mainly in rural and mining areas, and is influenced by geographical, economic, social, political, cultural and health service provision factors. Although malaria research in the country is of high quality, there is a lack of real-time information about where research is conducted and what results are obtained. This lack of information hinders timely decision making that can contribute to the eradication of this disease.
Therefore, it is essential to strengthen malaria knowledge management, research and innovation networks. Highlighting that strengthening knowledge management in health and biomedicine, as well as scientific research, are key elements to improving the health conditions of populations and achieving the Sustainable Development Objectives set out in the 2030 Agenda.
Within the framework of the insurance management scheme, health promotion entities (EPS) must guarantee the provision of authorized health services and technologies for the promotion, diagnosis, treatment, recovery and eradication of the disease, through unit payment by capitation (UPC). Are financed from. ,
The Political Constitution of 1991 establishes that health and environmental sanitation are public services in charge of the state. Therefore, it is essential to guarantee access to health promotion, protection and recovery services for all people. Thus, the State should organize, direct and regulate the provision of health and environmental sanitation services following the principles of efficiency, universality and solidarity. Furthermore, policies should be established for the provision of health services by private entities and the state should monitor and control it.
The Pan American Health Organization has developed initiatives and strategies to promote the elimination of malaria over the past decade and include the involvement of volunteers who support early arrest through diagnosis, administering drugs in hard-to-reach areas, From which countries like El Salvador get it. Belize, Argentina and Paraguay have ratified the event and have certification from the World Health Organization.
In this sense, the Ministry of Health and Social Security intends, through a draft proposal, to develop technical and operational guidelines for the National Program for the Prevention, Control and Elimination of Malaria, as well as clinical practice guides for diagnosis and treatment Is to be adopted. Malaria. After approval, the departmental order should be mandatory for the regional health institutions.
Measures to be adopted for prevention, control and treatment of malaria
Mass drug administration, selective drug administration, reactive drug administration, voluntary association, endemism, malaria risk stratification, rapid diagnostic tests.
General aspects of the National Malaria Prevention, Control and Elimination Program
The National Malaria Prevention, Control and Elimination Program is a set of coordinated actions aimed at eliminating malaria as a public health problem throughout the country. The program is led by the national or regional health authority, and is responsible for uniting both public and private actors from different institutions, promoting the integration of all sectors. To achieve its objectives, the program organizes resources, users or institutional and social actors, criteria, processes and tools in an efficient manner.
The entities covered by this administrative act should strengthen their actions for the prevention, control and elimination of malaria at the departmental, district and municipal levels, focusing particularly on rural and dispersed areas. Its objective is to achieve the goals of the National Malaria Program and eliminate the disease in the country. To achieve this, it is necessary to comprehensively plan actions in the health sector, have trained staff, ensure the quality and effectiveness of individual and collective interventions, and complement them with other health functions, such as:
National Institute of Health
- Function as a national reference laboratory in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2.8.8.2.9. Decree 780 of 2016 for laboratory surveillance of malaria.
- Ensure that diagnosis is carried out in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Guide for Laboratory Surveillance of Parasites of the Genus Plasmodium spp of the INS to ensure the quality of diagnosis of the National Laboratory Network.
- Provide advice, training and technical assistance, aimed primarily at departmental health laboratories, in relation to diagnostic techniques for the detection of Plasmodium spp. and in relation to entomological surveillance of malaria vectors and insecticide resistance.
- Performing indirect quality control for taxonomic identification of malaria vector species.
- Generate technical concepts that contribute to decision making related to integrated vector management and acquisition of inputs for vector control by MSPS.
- Participate in planning, development and coordination, as well as carry out operational public health surveillance actions for malaria for affected people in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Security, regional entities and other agents of the SGSS, in accordance with current regulations. On Sivigila.
- To coordinate, implement and direct scientific research on malaria in line with the policies, plans and guidelines of the Ministry of Health and Social Security; and coordinate the national malaria knowledge management network.
- Support strengthening of malaria public health surveillance information systems in regional health directorates, building capacity and promoting joint analysis of information from the National Laboratory Network (RNL), National Malaria Program and its coordination with other official sources of information. In accordance with what is established in the monitoring and evaluation plan.
- Summarize the characterization of the malaria diagnosis network at the national level.
Departmental, district and municipal health secretariats or their replacement units
In addition to what is established in national standards, to guarantee the progress of the national malaria programme, departments and districts must guarantee care; Comply with the “Flow of medical care for malaria patients” for the care of febrile patients in malaria-endemic areas; Ensure diagnosis, collection and processing of samples; participation in units of analysis; conducting periodic and rigorous monitoring; Strictly analyze the reasons or causes that lead to failure in hospitalization; Report adverse reactions to antimalarial drugs in the Suspected Adverse Drug Events Reporting Form (Forum).
To generate training and training space for human talent in health; send samples; Complete scenarios for diagnosis; Conducting prevention and self-care campaigns from time to time; In others.
Creation of Malaria Technical Advisory Committee
CTAM, as an independent group of malaria experts where its function is to advise on related issues for decision making by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, is composed of different entities, Minsalud, INS, the Colombian Association of Scientific Societies. representatives of departmental or district health secretariats; A representative appointed by, among others, the Pan American Health Organization. Serve for two years, and may be re-elected for a term exceeding two years.
Clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of malaria
It will be an essential context for people’s care, with health workers having the power to accept or differ from its recommendations when they believe the clinical context in which care is provided is appropriate to their concept and Guarantees this by leaving a record of the decision. in the history. Clinic. They will be an essential reference for administrative institutions of benefit plans, institutions providing health services, adapted institutions and special arrangements.
allocation of resources
It seeks to support the financing, training and operation of the National Program for the Prevention, Control and Elimination of Malaria, with the aim of implementing the strategy of voluntary partners defined in Title IV of this resolution. To achieve this, it would be possible to allocate resources from the nation’s general budget, ADRES, local budgets or other sources to state social enterprises – ESEs or municipalities.
Coordination of Knowledge Management, Research and Innovation Network in Malaria
This initiative, led by MSPS, INS and PAHO, aims to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange between the different actors involved in the fight against malaria in Colombia. The main objective of the network is to promote research and innovation in the field of malaria, while strengthening knowledge management to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for this disease. Through collaboration and exchange of information, we want to promote the development of new tools and approaches to combat malaria and reduce its impact on the population.
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