An unprecedented business model to fight malaria
December 6, 2011
Malaria remains a complex and multi-faceted problem in sub-Saharan Africa. Three speakers joined a recent Novartis Malaria Initiative event to look more closely at the impact of malaria in Africa, and to examine the journey Novartis undertook to apply innovation and make global access possible for patients of all backgrounds, in all locations.
Agnes Akoth, Head Nurse, Kombewa Clinic, Kenya
Agnes Akoth, Head Nurse, Kombewa Clinic, Kenya, described to the audience the severity of malaria in her native Lake Victoria region, and the impact it has on the population there. “The mortality that comes with malaria is very high. If no intervention comes forthwith, we will lose the patient or end up with complications that are very severe,” she noted. “When malaria has claimed a life, everything stops, you do not go to work, and families, while coping with the grief of having lost a loved one, have to go into expenses for the funeral, it really increases poverty in Africa.”
