Yemisi Izuora
In a bid to eradicate malaria in the country, MIRAL Pharm limited, a leading indigenous pharmaceutical company has announced the commencement of the Call for Essays for students in tertiary institutions starting with Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka.
The topic for this year’s edition is in line with the theme for the 2016 World Malaria Day which is “End Malaria for good”.
The scheme is targeted at promoting health literacy and research. To enter the competition, participants are required to register and submit the essays which should not exceed 1,000 words through an online portal.
The registration and submission are expected to end on the 1st of March, 2017. The online registration and submission portal can be accessed through the company’s website – www.miralpharm.com
Prizes to be won include a one-year scholarship and a trip to selected facilities in India for the first prize. The second prize winner will get a one-year scholarship with a laptop while the third prize will be offered a one-year scholarship. Consolation prizes will also be won.
According to the Managing Director, Mr. Onyeka Onyeibor, Miral Pharm Ltd is hopeful that the essays will uncover actionable research interests and as such, Miral Pharm is favorably disposed to supporting such research efforts.
Through the ‘End Malaria for Good Project’, Miral Pharm Ltd intends to encourage thinking and improve expressions amongst students as well as contribute knowledge to the nation’s research base.
He noted that at the commemoration of the 2016 World Malaria Day, it was made known that about 31million Nigerians were diagnosed with malaria in the previous year.This is far from the expectation of the World Health Organization in the eradication of malaria. In the process of elimination of malaria, the pre-elimination stage is expected to observe less than 1 case per 1000 persons.
Achieving this great feat in the eradication of malaria involves a conscious effort that requires research and collaborations
At Miral Pharm, we value people, excellence, courage and goodness hence, we are committed to encouraging people to be the best they are capable of being. We take pride in investing in the lives of the next generation by empowering them with what they need to take on this stride.
The Project coordinator, Miral Pharm, Ifeyinwa Ugo-Amadi added that each essay will be evaluated based on its ingenuity, structure, insightfulness, content and language style by three independent examiners. She also said that plagiarism will not be permitted, therefore, students are expected to reference the source of any information used.
The Nnamdi Azikiwe University is scheduled as a pilot school while subsequent editions are expected to include other universities in the country.
Miral Pharm Limited is a healthcare company created to provide a trans-national platform for low cost and efficient redistribution and marketing of pharmaceutical products, hospital consumables, and lifestyle goods.
Through a network of customers in the various countries where it operates, Miral sets out to be the preferred channel for delivering healthcare products to quality conscious and price sensitive people living in Africa, particularly West Africa.
Miral registers and promotes its own brands in various countries while actively seeking collaborations with other companies in the healthcare space.
This non-traditional approach stems from the conviction that there is only one enemy – disease. This common enemy can best be defeated by sharing information, expertise and existing platforms in serving the customer.
In his own speech the Vice Chancellor, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Prof. Joseph Ahaneku appreciated Miral Pharm for their ingenuity and love in promoting health literacy and research among Nigerian students.
He applauded the company for choosing Nnamdi Azikiwe University for this pilot phase , which according to him is founded on the philosophy that knowledge should be propagated and disseminated to individuals without hindrance. Teaching and research is anchored on the needs of the Nigerian and International society generally.
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, after whom the University is named, stands out clearly in the history of University education in Nigeria and Africa in general. In the discharge of its mission, the University shall live up to the ideals of this renowned statesman by making University education pragmatic and using it to forge unity among the various communities in Nigeria and the International community. The Future begins here.