The distribution of treated mosquito nets will take place in Patihani, Gardi, Kalyanpur and Ayodhyapuri VDCs, informed Chitwan District Health Office (DHO). [break]
EDCD has been handing over treated mosquito nets to the locals of malaria-prone areas across the country and to date the project has reached 31 districts. In 2012, locals of almost 12 VDCs in Chitwan had received the treated nets.
DHO, under its preliminary plan, had decided to distribute the treated mosquito nets to eight VDCs, but this was reduced to four during a policy seminar held at Hetauda a few months back.
“The VDCs previously selected for the distribution of treated mosquito nets were dropped at the Hetauda meeting. This does not allow us to implement the program in other VDCs,” said Khesar Singh Godar, chief of DHO.
The selection of VDCs for distribution of malaria safety nets is carried out by DHO and the responsibility of actually handing over the nets goes to the Rural Development Fund (RDF).
According to RDF field supervisor Lularaj Tamang, the treated mosquito nets were allocated to Bagauda, Ganjanagar, Shivanagar, Padampur, Jutpani, Saradanagar,Meghauli, Shukranagar, Shaktikhor, Kathar, Siddi and Khairhani VDCs of Chitwan last year.
“In 2012, a total of 86,095 treated mosquito nets were distributed in Chitwan. The government had sent only 77,613 nets. Because of the inadequate number of nets, there was great dissatisfaction among the locals,” said Tamang. “The leftover nets from the distribution were redistributed in Chitwan,” he added.
The project of distributing treated mosquito nets, which is supported by the Global Fund, was first introduced by Population Services International (PSI) Nepal with an aim of wiping out malaria across the country by 2026.
According to the distribution regulations, every household in the selected VDCs including tenants will receive treated mosquito nets. A couple will get one net and a pregnant woman can have an extra net. As for the tenants, their stay in the house should have been for more than four months.
“Pregnant women will be handed the treated nets when they come for their treatments,” said Godar. This year 4,460 treated mosquito nets have been allocated for the selected VDCs, he informed.
Talking about the vulnerability of pregnant women to malaria, Godar said that women in pregnancy should go for medical checkups regularly as the disease could infected both mother and fetus.
Tamang said that the required nets have already reached the district and distribution has commenced from Khairhani VDC-4, where distribution ended last year due to the insufficient number of nets.
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