News Editor
By Edwin Philip
In order to actualise it project, ‘Together for healthy families in Nigeria ‘ currently being implemented in four States in Nigeria including Nasarawa, Gombe, Ekiti and the FCT, Rotary International through the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health health in collaboration with the Nasarawa State Ministry of health have trained not less than 20 Journalist in Nasarawa State in a three day workshop aimed at equipping them to develop media content through news and programs in their various mediums, to create awareness on reproductive, maternal and child health and to prevent neonatal and maternal mortality.
Speaking to journalist at the end of the workshop which began on Monday July 1, 2024, in Akwanga Nasarawa State,the coordinator of the project in the North Central Region of Nigeria Roterian Elvis Chukwu, said the training became imperative because journalist as the fourth estate of the realm are close to the people and should be enriched on issues regarding Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health, RMCH.
Rotary foundation partners Journalist to desimate information on Reproductive, Maternal, Child Health
Chukwu said the project ‘ together for happy family in Nigeria ‘ is targeted at pregnant women, infant, children and everything that has to do with mothers,even adolescent ladies certain things they need to know before they get married .
” Most importantly pregnant mothers, no woman should die of pregnancy, for a woman to get pregnant should not be a death sentence, this is what we want to curb’.
The North Central coordinator added that men, husbands and brothers are captured in the project because they equally have a role to play if they will allow their wives to space their children the better for them, as the economic situation in the country is not favourable for one to keep having children year in year out, as a little bit of spacing is good for man and the wife.
“The wife will be stronger enough to have the next pregnancy, but if it keeps happening intermittently of course her life is in danger, apart from the society implications and the community implications of that, so everybody is part of it, including children because if you have a younger one that you gave some gap you will equally be able to play with that one but if they are so closely birthed who is leading who”?
He added that Nasarawa State government has been very supportive in their partnership with Rotary to be able to curb the effect of child and maternal health and have been deeply involved in the workshop ensuring that it is successful.
On her part, the Nasarawa State midwife for the programme Rotary RMCH, Ashezi Ezekiel Madawa, said the programme is to reduce neonatal and maternal mortality by 25% through attendance to women through various platforms such as community dialogue: by trying to get the community involved, women of reproductory ages, pregnant women, their husbands are taught the need for them to access care in the facilities for antenal care, delivery and every reproductory health care services.
“We have community have outreaches that are scattered all over the communities where we have health workers attached to a chief agent that moves around to see where they can see this pregnant women, advice and educate them in certain things they need to do then refer them to facility where they need to go and access reproductory health services “
According to the he State midwife, the training for Journalist is to enlightened them on the activities of Rotary Action Group so that they can serve as partners for the society, to use their mediums to disseminate the information inorder for an average person to be able find it easier to get to the hospitals to know the services, create awareness that the services are almost free.
She expressed optimism that with the level of knowledge Journalist have acquired during the workshop which was fruitful from the facilitations, panel discussions, practical sessions and feedbacks will make the work of Rotary foundation in the State to be much easier in the health care system
Speaking earlier during the opening ceremony of the workshop for Journalist, the country director of Rotary International Nigeria, Professor Emmanuel Adeololapo Lufadejo who spoke through the program Manager Toyosi Asebambo said the essence of the workshop was to impact relevant information and equip journalist with more knowledge in reshaping the perception of people on RMCH.
He emphasized the need for men to encourage women to attend antenatal care to reduce cases of maternal, Neonata cases, child birth complications as well as well as the use of web based electronic data in Nigeria.
Declaring the workshop opened, the Nasarawa State commissioner of Health, Doctor Gaza Gwamna said that the State will continue to collaborate with development partners in the health sector, working in the maternal and child health spaces such as Rotory international to reverse the ugly trend of maternal and neonatal mortalities.
Journalist trained were drawn from the print, broadcast and new media expressed satisfaction that the workshop was fruitful, timely, well packaged and has added to their body of knowledge in reproductory, maternal and child health in particular and health reporting in general.
