The Government of Uganda has received 71million dollars from the Global fund, to revive the home based malaria treatment program using coatem as the first line of treatment.
The money has been channeled to Uganda by the Global fund in support of round IV phase II, over a two-year period.
The program was suspended two years ago, after the government policy of first line treatment for malaria changed from using chloroquine and fansidar which was commonly referred as Homapac to coatem.
Government was forced to change its first line of malaria treatment from Homapac after malaria became resistant to the combination.
Government initiated the Home based malaria treatment program to ensure children get treatment for malaria with in 24-hours at the on-set of malaria symptoms.
The drugs were distributed though community based drug distributors and helped contain malaria before it turned fatal.
Dr. Richard Ndyomugyenyi, says the Ministry of Health has already trained community based drug distributors in 37 districts.
The ministry plans to train 50,000 drugs distributors with at least two from each village who will give coatem tablets to children below seven years.
The drugs distributors are trained to assess and give coatem tablets to control malaria related fatalities.
The Ministry has just concluded pilot projects by distributing coatem to children suffering from malaria in Kiboga and some districts in Northern Uganda.
Dr. Richard Ndyomugyenyi says the project would make drugs readily available in communities.
Statistical data from the Ministry of Health shows that about 320 people die of malaria daily in Uganda, 80 per cent of them are children below five years, and the other 20 per cent are pregnant women.
