Nation
UNN Group Partners Journalists On Urban Health
Health Policy Research Group (HPRG), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) is collaborating with journalists on communicating research findings to policymakers to improve healthcare in urban areas.
The partnership entails using media houses to showcase quality evidence from health policy and systems research to policymakers and the public to improve the delivery of health services to rural people.
HPRG, which is based at the College of Medicine, UNN, draws from the experiences of researchers across several fields in health, social, and environmental sciences through Community-Led Responsive and Effective Urban Health Systems (CHORUS PROJECT).
CHORUS is a Consortium that brings together health systems experts from Africa, Asia, and Europe, with funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Speaking during the “Research-Media Bootcamp” in Enugu on Saturday, the HPRG Coordinator, Prof. Obinna Onwujekwe, said the partnership would provide linkage and framework between researchers and journalists in reporting health issues.
Onwujekwe said coming together would give journalists more understanding of the importance of research evidence in strengthening governance and facilitating efficient health service delivery.
According to him, such collaboration will further enable researchers know how to communicate with journalists and build sustainable relationships for appreciation and use of research.
He explained that HPRG was on a 5-year study of health services delivery in urban areas and how they can be mainstreamed into the formal health system for quality control reasons.
He also said that bootcamp would enable media houses put research findings in such a manner that common people can understand and help journalists appreciate research work especially on urban health.
He added that policymakers would pay more attention to health service delivery when journalists report the research findings more accurately.
Onwujekwe, who is a Lecturer in Health Administration and Management and a Professor of Health Economics, UNN, noted that urban health studies have been on for decades.
He added that this project, which began about three years ago, focused on Enugu and Anambra states, with recent spread into Rivers and Abia States.
He stated that the group identified four areas in Enugu and four in Onitsha, Anambra state as study sites.
“There are more slums in these states but we decided to select 8 as we cannot work in all the slums.
“We took major slums after research sampling and we want to find out the healthcare services provided in the slums, linkages that exist as well as problem they have in accessing health service”, he said.
He stated that the research would help improve and better the health service of people living in slums.
While urging government to do more for people living in areas, Onwujekwe said politicians should not only campaign in slums during elections but try to pay attention to their health services.
“When media inform people, they will be able to demand for a better healthcare services when they come for campaigns”, Onwujekwe said.
Speaking on the topic titled “The Act/Practice on Journalistic Writing”, Alex Enebeli, a Senior Correspondent, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), tasked them on the need to be consistent and objective throughout their research work.
He charged on factual and accurate information to enable members of the public, especially the policymakers trust their research findings.
Presenting a paper on “Reporting For Corruption in Health Sector”, an Editor from International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), Victoria Bamas, said there were a lot corruption going on in the health sector.
She highlighted areas where corruption took place in health sector include during procurement processes, bribery and kickbacks, bid rigging, theft and diversions, and sales of drugs meant to be free.
Others, she noted, were workers attitude to work, poor service delivery, medical malpractice, negligence, fraud and falsification of medical documents.
Participants were drawn from different media houses, public relation units, academics and researchers with HPRG, UNN.
The Executive Secretary of the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), Dr Chioma Ejikeme, has reiterated the commitment to service delivery for pensioners.
Ejikeme said this during the Customer Service Week in Abuja, yesterday.
He said that commission had a mandate to deliver good service delivery to the pensioners.
Ejikeme, who was represented by the Director Civil Service Pension Department, Mr Kabir Yusuf, said that the customer service week was important to operations of PTAD.
“Customer service is the support that you give to a customer, whether it is an existing customer or potential customer in the process of delivering or making enquires about a service.
“To be a good customer service representative you need to be knowledgeable, have good attitude and attribute especially to the senior citizens and have empathy,” he said.
Ejikeme said that all PTAD staff had most of the attributes of a good customer representative.
“We provide excellent customer service by going to verify our aged pensioners who cannot do it by themselves anywhere across the country.
“There is a dedicated team that was mandated to go round to confirm the aliveness of those who can not confirm their aliveness either because the are too old or have health issues,” the executive secretary said.
The National Coordinator, SERVICOM, Mrs Nnenna Akajemeli, said that the official theme of the 2024 customer service week was “ We Go Above and Beyond For Our Customers.”
She commended PTAD and the SERVICOM team for organising the 2024 customer service week.
“This is in line with the best practice of celebrating frontline workers and service takers.
“Customer service week is celebrated annually during the first full week in October.
It calls attention to the importance of people to boost morale team work and departmental collaboration in supporting pensioners.
“ It is a platform to reward employees for the significant work they do,” Akajemeli said.
She said that the objective of the customer service week was to celebrate the hard work and dedication of employee who strived to create positive customer experiences.
She said that it was time to show customers that the organisation valued their experience and feedback, through comment cards, dedicated hotline, among others.
Akajemeli said that it raised awareness internally and externally about the importance of good customer service in building customer loyalty and satisfaction.
She said that the benefit was to increase motivation, show appreciation, encourage friendly competition, boost employee retention, create a positive workplace and increase productivity.
The Head, Surveillance Department at the National Pension Commission (PenCom), Mr Abdulrahman Saleem, said that good service delivery was the key success of every establishment.
Salem said that PTAD operated with standard, considering the success it had achieved so far.
Saleem said that pensioners required the best service attitude and behavior.
“ I give kudos to PTAD for its efforts and encourage it to do more.
“Therefore I urge PTAD staff to keep up the standard and continue to give good service to the pensioners,” he said.
The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, has honoured Flying Officer David Sangokoya for winning the 2023/2024 Royal Air Force College Cranwell International Cadet Sword of Honour.
Abubakar honoured the officer during the presentation of cheques to 13 beneficiaries of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Group Personal Accident Insurance Policy (GPAIP) in Abuja, yesterday.
He described the achievement as ground-breaking as it was the first time an African cadet had won the prestigious award since the Academy’s creation over 100 years ago.
According to him, the feat underscores the excellence that exists within NAF, and proof that NAF officers and cadets can stand shoulder to shoulder with the best in the world.
“To our awardee, you have set a new standard, not just for your peers, but for every cadet and officer that will come after you.
“This accomplishment is a powerful reminder that no goal is out of reach when one is armed with dedication, discipline and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Your journey as an officer has begun with this prestigious accolade, but the true measure of your success will be seen in how you serve, lead and contribute to the mission of NAF and the defence of our great nation.
“As we celebrate this historic occasion, we extend our deepest gratitude to the United Kingdom Government for its unwavering support in providing world-class training opportunities to our personnel.
“This has enabled our officers and men to gain invaluable skills and knowledge, strengthening not only our bilateral ties but also our collective ability to address global security challenges,” he said.
The CAS said that the NAF looked forward to continuing the fruitful partnership for the mutual benefit of Nigeria and UK countries.
He expressed gratitude and unflinching loyalty to President Bola Tinubu for his commitment to the welfare and training of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, and NAF in particular.
“I must also take a moment to extend my heartfelt appreciation to the leadership of the Nigerian Defence Academy and the instructors who helped to mould and prepare this cadet for the global stage.
“Their dedication and commitment to developing top-notch officers is evident in this ground-breaking achievement.
“You have not only trained a leader but have given the Nigerian Air Force a legacy we will all cherish,” he said.
National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has advocated private sector involvement to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The Director-General of the authority, Dr Kelechi Ohiri, made the call at a high-level policy dialogue on sustainable health system reforms in Nigeria in Abuja, yesterday.
The Tide’s source reports that the dialogue was organised by the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), a coalition of private sector stakeholders, to address the multifaceted challenges plaguing the country’s healthcare system.
The dialogue has “Private Sector Support for SWAP (Sector Wide Approach) in Healthcare” as its theme.
Represented by Dr Yakubu Agada-Amade, the NHIA Director of Standards and Quality Assurance, Ohiri explained the crucial role of private sector collaboration in strengthening Nigeria’s healthcare system
He highlighted the “One Plan” under the SWAp framework, which seeks to unify health sector efforts, ensuring efficient resource use, effective governance and expanded healthcare access.
He also stressed the importance of overcoming barriers that historically hindered the implementation of healthcare interventions in Nigeria, such as inadequate financing, weak governance systems, and bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He added that “the dialogue explored innovative approaches, including digital health innovations and financing mechanisms to accelerate the implementation of the National Health Act and mandatory health insurance coverage.
“With enrollment in health insurance growing by 14 per cent over the past year, NHIA can push for greater inclusivity, particularly targeting the informal sector through flexible payment systems and partnerships with telecommunications companies.”
He called for stronger synergy between public and private health actors to ensure universal access to quality healthcare and sustainable reforms in line with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII).
Panelists from the Association of Nigerian Private Medical Practitioners (ANPMP), Healthcare Providers Association of Nigeria (HCPAN) and Health and Managed Care Association of Nigeria (HMCAN) echoed the sentiments, underscoring the private sector’s role in expanding insurance coverage and improving healthcare delivery.
They commended NHIA’s efforts toward driving reforms to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp).