Lassa Fever : Modibbo Laments Poor State Of Nation's Primary Healthcare System
A media guru,Alhaji Ishaq Modibbo has blamed the outbreak of Lassa fever in some parts of the country on the failure of public health system in the country.
Modibbo stated this in a paper entitled 'Media As A Strategic Tool in Healthcare Delivery' which he delivered at a health retreat organised by the Moji Makanjuola led- International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH) in Ilorin, Kwara state on Thursday.
He submitted that the outbreak of Lassa fever has also exposed the poor state of the nation's primary healthcare system.
Modibbo, who described Lassa fever as a disease of the poor, lamented poor environmental sanitation and hygiene among people, saying that there would be improvement in public health with cleanliness and availability of potable water.
"Lassa Fever is a quintessential disease of the poor, because it's often directly associated with poor communities in rural and urban settlements around Nigeria. I was in primary school in 1969, when the first cases of Lassa Fever emerged in present day Borno state.
And the re-emergence of the infection in recent months is being associated with the deterioration of primary health care and basic sanitation in our rural communities and increasingly over-populated urban settlements", he said.
Modibbo, who said that the nation's public healthcare system left a lot to be desired, added that Nigeria was still grappling with basic indices in public healthcare delivery that clearly underscored our under-development.
"The budgeting system is not fair enough and the inadequacy makes it difficult to reach basic targets in healthcare delivery", he said.
The media practitioner, who also said that the media have a very important role in communicating the changes that could help to shape the policy thrust and implementation as they affect the field of public health in Nigeria, added that media practitioners must also become specialist in the field of public health, by knowing very intimately the basic issues in the field.
"We must also be able to understand the budgeting processes and how they would impact upon the public health field. That means that conscientious media in the area of public health must be able to report and analyze what the trends are as they affect the entire chain of delivery of public health in our country", he said.
Also speaking, the coordinator of the public health organisation, Mrs. Moji Makanjuola, a former media practitioner with national television station, said the organisation was borne to impact positively on quality healthcare of people of the society.
Mrs. Makanjuola, who said that she discovered a gap in health communication and education in her 25 years of health reporting among Nigerian media practitioners, added that the organisation had mapped out activities to bridge the gap to achieve quality health care system in the country.
Cloud Tag: What's trending
Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.
Otoge Ahman Pategi University Shonga Farm Project George Innih Mamatu Abdullahi Ajike People Support Centre Aliyu Muyideen Jamiu Oyawoye Yemi Sanni Universal Basic Education Commission Joseph Daudu Aminu Adisa Logun Mohammed Ghali Alaaya Madawaki Of Ilorin Muhammed Abdullahi Femi Agbaje Abdulkadir Bolakale Sakariyah Rafiu Ibrahim Kwara State Polytechnic Igbomina NIPOGA Government High School (GHS), Adeta Labour Party Muslim Media Watch Group Of Nigeria Ahmad Lawan Oloye Gbemisola Oguntimehin Y.A. Abdulkareem Gbemisola Saraki John Olobayo Bareke Dan-Kazeem Code Of Conduct Tribunal Olabanji Orilonishe Rueben Parejo Matthew Okedare Binta Abubakar Mora Nigeria Computer Society Kwara State Infrastructure Development Fund Mohammed Kamaludeen Omoniyi Umar Gunu United Nigeria Airline Yemi Osinbajo Lanre Issa Onilu AGILE Programme Wasiu Odewale Ajasse-Ipo Mahmud Durosinlohun Atiku Kubra Kazum Taofeek Sanusi GRA 20 Billion Bond General Hospital, Offa Balogun Ajikobi AbdulQowiy Olododo Isiaka Danmeromu Hameed Oladipupo Ali Oniwa Funmilayo Braithwaite Mohammed Haruna Imam Gambari Tunde Akanbi Adesina Simon Sodiya Oke-Odo Bayo Ojo Sarkin Malamai IEDPU Lanre Badmas Kwara State Coalition Of Business And Professional Associations Lawal Arinola Kudirat Ayobami Akanbi Adama Isa Aisha Abodunrin Ibrahim Salaudeen Oyewale Otuka Bayo Onimago

