By Tobias Lengnan Dapam
Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has decried the country’s poor indices of maternal health, under-five mortality and maternal deaths.
Ehanire made this known yesterday while
speaking at the 2021 First Quarter Meeting of the Nigeria Reproductive, Maternal, mortality Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Platform; Media Parley and Dissemination of RMNCAEH+N 2021 Operation Plan.
He lamented that the poor indices recorded over the past twenty years in the country was unfortunate.
Speaking further, the Health Minister said the country rewrite the bad history and change the poor indices which he said portray the country in bad light.
He specifically said that the the unfortunate stagnant situation could be a thing is the past if the opportunity that abounds in the mass media is harnessed to educate Nigerians towards achieving mass behavioural change.
He quoted the 2018 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), saying that the various poor indices captured by the survey calls for collaborative efforts by all stakeholders to address the challenges.
“In recognition of the role of the media in improving health outcomes in the country, the ministry among other strategies, will begin a regular media interactive session every two weeks, and a maiden media engagement strategy for health promotion has been developed”, he said.
Peoples Daily recalls that Ehanire established the Nigeria Reproductive, Maternal, Child, Adolescent and Elderly Health plus Nutrition (RMNCAEH+N) Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Platform to specifically improve the health and wellbeing of mothers, children, adolescents and the elderly.