By Oyet Okwera Geoffrey
To strengthen the fight against malaria, Pimar Charity Organization in conjunction with the
Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Malaria and the Government of Uganda organized a
malaria walk. This walk held on the 29th March 2025 under the theme “No One Should Die of
Malaria” in Bongtiko sub-county, Pader district and Uganda at large was intended to bring
all the stakeholders together with reflections on different ways of fighting malaria by
addressing causes mainly spread by the female anopheles mosquito.
Statistics at Ministry of Health indicate that Pader ranks among the top three districts in
Uganda with higher malaria prevalence.
The Chief walker of the day, Archbishop Raphael P’Mony Wokorach of Gulu Archdiocese
appealed to the government to provide essential support in combating malaria in Pader
district and Uganda at large.
Speaking as the Chief Guest at the Third Malaria Walk, Archbishop Wokorach called on all
stakeholders to strengthen unity as more reflections on preventive measures of malaria
continue through Research.
“Hygiene must be prioritized by the community, and awareness campaigns are crucial to
ending malaria in our country,” said the Archbishop.
Hon. Santa Okot, the woman MP for Aruu Constituency who doubles as Member
Parliament’s committee on Malaria observed parliament’s commitment since 2021. Hon.
Okot noted also that the burden that malaria brings is partly responsible for higher poverty
levels in her constituency.
According to statistics about 30 children die daily of malaria while about 900 children die
per month, a figure which is still baffling, the reason for more engagements against malaria
in Uganda.
The Area Member of Parliament, Hon. Santa Okot challenged all players in the health to
contribute towards saving lives because many children are dying from Pader. Figures
available with Pader district indicate that 655 out of 1291 tested positive for malaria
between July 2024 to March 2025.
Lamara Angella a local resident in Bongtiko says the situation is dire at the health facilities as
many times when her children fall sick, they grapple with the challenge of accessing
medicines. This, she says is even made worse as in some facilities there are limited medical
attendants.
Kilama Godfrey the LC3 chairperson at Bongtiko sub-county confirm that staff enrolment is
indeed very low, an issue that needs to be looked at keenly. He says there is need to
upgrade Lawiire Health Centre 2 to health centre 3 with more staff to cater for increased
medical services in the area.
Currently in Pader district, many health facilities are understaffed with only about 27% staff
enrollment of medical personnels. Stakeholders have decried this enrollment calling on
government to prioritize increasing staff in the medical sector to improve and increase
health service delivery.
