The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bayo Onanuga, has proffered a 12-point media engagement strategy to ensure successful implementation of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in Nigeria.
Onanuga who made the suggestions as a panellist at the two-day National Health Dialogue on UHC organised by some NGOs and Premium Times in Abuja, recommended for a robust government, civil society and media partnership to raise public awareness on healthcare needs and demands to achieve UCH in the country.
Represented by the Head, Health, Gender and Population Desk of the agency, Mohammed Tola, the managing director tasked media practitioners in the country to get acquainted with provisions of health laws and issues to report accurately and correctly.
Onanuga explained that health issues must be taken seriously and the only way to achieve that is for media practitioners to have adequate knowledge on health matters.
He also urged stakeholders, especially NGOs, to empower media practitioners through training and equipment to sharpen their skills and deliver effectively.
Besides, the managing director enjoined government health agencies and CSOs to provide relevant data and information to enable journalists report accurately.
Onanuga further advised journalists covering the health sector to go beyond daily reportage as they were expected to conduct indepth analysis of pressing issues in the health sector.
“For us to record success in health sector, the media must be used as tools for advocacy.
“Journalists should take advantage of Freedom of Information Act to get necessary information needed to hold government and healthcare service providers accountable and transparent by delivering accessible and qualitative service.
“We must report activities of the government in the sector, monitor infrastructural development, procurement and disbursement of drugs and equipment as well as immunisation activities,” he said.
Onanuga stated that the only way that could be achieved is when media practitioners have adequate knowledge concerning health related issues.
Meanwhile, some cancer survivors at the event appealed to the Federal Government to establish functional Cancer Treatment Centres across the country to enable patients access medical care.
Some of the survivors who spoke to NAN after the conference urged government to speed up interventions to save lives.
Ms Comfort Daniel regretted that it was unfortunate that some of the treatment machines were not available in many parts of the country and she had to travel to Lagos to access Radiotherapy.
“If not for the support of well meaning Nigerians, NGOs and the media, I would have died of breast cancer. Sometime an NGO known as Pink-Blue sponsored my trip to and fro by air to Lagos to access radiotherapy.
“I was diagnosed of breast cancer when it was in stage 2 in 2014, because I didn’t have money and before I sourced for fund, there were a lot of delays and it deteriorated to stage three,” she said.
Daniel said that cancer treatment was expensive that government needs to intervene and provide necessary equipment, drugs and support for cancer patients.
Ms Gloria Orji, the Abuja Cancer Governor, also urged government to take necessary actions to provide treatment centres to carter for those suffering from various forms of cancers.
Orji, who recovered from breast cancer in the last five years, noted that the country was endowed and there was no reason why people should be dying of the disease that can be prevented and treated.
According to her, the treatment is expensive that even a middle class in the country cannot afford not to talk of the poor.
“To treat some types of breast cancer require not less than N12 million, you can now understand that a poor person cannot afford the treatment.
“I know of a person that was diagnosed of cancer and when she was told of what is required for the treatment, she said she cannot afford it that she will go home and die and she eventually died,” she said.
She appealed to the government to act fast to prevent high rate of mortality from cancer.
On her part, the Wife of Kebbi State Governor, Dr Zainab Bagudu, told that NAN the rate at which people are dying of cancer related disease was unacceptable.
Bagudu said that governments need to revive and strengthen Primary Health Care (PHC) to provide services to the larger population of Nigerians.
According to her, when there is functional primary healthcare, it will help in early detection and that will go a long in reducing the fertility rate from the ailment.
She also underscored the need for government to act fast in providing the necessary functional equipment for the treatment of cancer.
Bagudu added that Nigeria had the resources and it was not right for cancer patients to travel to overseas to access medical care.