STRENGTHENING THE COMMITMENT IN FIGHT AGAINST MALARIA
Malaria is a potentially life-threatening infection.
The County Government of Nandi is scaling and sustaining access to prompt malaria diagnosis and effective treatment to the entire population. 
Part of the implementation of the malaria strategy has been to strengthen laboratory diagnosis of malaria across all levels of the health care system and in all epidemiological zones within the county.
These efforts has seen the County Government of Nandi named the best overall in National Malaria External Quality Assurance Champion for the implemention of National Quality Assurance in parasitological diagnosis of malaria guidelines.
Speaking in her office when she received the National Malaria EQA Champion 2023 award from the County Lab Coordinator Mr Kendagor, the CEC for Health and Sanitation Ruth Koech said that “It is time we rise once again to the challenge of malaria, through joint action, and a commitment to leaving no one behind, we can achieve our shared vision of a Nandi free of malaria.”
According to Abigael Jerotich, the County Malaria Quality Assurance Officer based at the Kapsabet County Referral Hospital, one of the intermediate results was an improvement in quality Malaria diagnostics. “Initially, malaria was diagnosed without any roadmap and the quality of malaria diagnosis was not given preference,” says Abigael.
To address this challenge, given that Nandi is among the counties with prevalence of malaria, the County Government of Nandi prioritized capacity building for lab health workers.
“We were taken through a series of trainings that has helped us to transform the management of malaria in the county,” she attests. “We have strengthened the technical support supervision and mentorship in link facilities that have contributed to the usage of commodities and documentation with an aim to improve the accuracy of malaria diagnostics at link facilities.”
Malaria eradication is a top priority of the County and plans to establish a Malaria reference lab. It has devoted resources and expertise to a relentless pursuit of malaria eradication, and has continuously adapted the approach to achieve the greatest possible impact, in partnership with key stakeholders in health.