NGO trains journalists on key health issues in Kano
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) the International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), in collaboration with the EngenderHealth and Kano State ministry of Health, has trained 25 media professionals on critical health topics, including Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH), health financing, newborn care, and other related areas.
SolaceBase reports that the three-day training workshop, held from Tuesday to Thursday in Kano, aimed to build the capacity of journalists to effectively report on health sector initiatives and programs.
Speaking at the event, the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, emphasised the importance of involving media professionals in health communication.
“I am truly pleased to be part of this training. I always consider it very important to inform the informers. The media plays a vital role, and whatever they publish is often accepted by the public without question. This makes it essential to engage them and ensure they understand the content they disseminate,” he said.
“A media outlet has the power to create calm or chaos within 24 hours. Therefore, media professionals carry a great responsibility in maintaining societal stability and strengthening our systems. Today, we are focusing on the health sector—on RMNCAH, health financing, newborn health, and sector-wide approaches (SWAp), which are key to improving our health indices.”
Program Director of ISMPH, Mr. Solomon Dogo, highlighted the objective of the training as building journalists’ capacity to report on technical areas of health such as RMNCAH, SWAp, health contributory schemes, and newborn care.
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“ISMPH has long partnered with journalists to enhance health reporting. The media is a strategic tool for conveying health information to grassroots communities. This training is part of our ongoing effort to ensure journalists are equipped to share accurate, timely, and impactful health stories,” he explained.
He noted that the training was sponsored by EngenderHealth and reaffirmed the importance of media in raising awareness on new government health initiatives.
“These areas are closely linked to maternal mortality. Kano State unfortunately, records one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Nigeria. By addressing these focus areas, we can significantly reduce maternal deaths,” he added.
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Mr. Solomon further explained that when women begin enrolling in health contributory schemes, they gain access to essential services such as free cesarean sections and maternity care. He also stressed the role of the sector-wide approach in pooling resources from different partners to improve healthcare delivery.
Representing the Country Director of EngenderHealth, Dr. Kabiru Atta, urged participants to make good use of the knowledge gained.
“The health sector is very critical, and we will continue to collaborate with journalists to produce success stories and newsletters that showcase the role of the media in improving healthcare systems,” he said.
One of the participants, Farida Salis, expressed appreciation for the training and promised to contribute meaningfully to the development of healthcare in Kano State.
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