Organisation rallies journalists to promote life-saving health services and encourage wider use of Primary Health Centres
By Emeka Chiaghanam
The Johns Hopkins
Programme for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO)
has called on journalists in Anambra State to join hands in promoting
integrated healthcare services, saying greater public awareness is essential to
ensuring more people benefit from quality sexual and reproductive health and
communicable disease services available in Primary Health Centres across the
state.
The appeal was made during a media briefing on the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and
Communicable Diseases (SRHR/CD) Project, held at the Legacy Building, Faculty of Mass
Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, where health experts and
development partners outlined ongoing efforts to improve healthcare access and
strengthen community participation.
Project targets better healthcare
through service integration
Speaking during the briefing, Adaobi Eziuzo, Community
Engagement Officer for JHPIEGO, explained that the organisation, an affiliate
of Johns Hopkins University, United
States, has operated in Nigeria since 1978, focusing largely on
improving women's reproductive health and strengthening healthcare systems.
She disclosed that the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Communicable Diseases (SRHR/CD)
Project is funded by the Global
Fund through the National AIDS
and STIs Control Programme (NASCP) and is currently being implemented
across Anambra, Ebonyi, Kwara and Gombe
States.
According to her, in Anambra State, JHPIEGO is partnering
with the Malaria Eradication and Safe
Health Initiative of Nigeria (MESHI) to deliver the project in 15 health facilities and surrounding
communities across Aguata,
Idemili South and Ogbaru Local Government Areas.
She said the initiative is designed to improve the
integration of sexual and reproductive health services with communicable
disease prevention and treatment, ensuring that people receive comprehensive
healthcare under one roof rather than visiting multiple facilities for
different services.
One visit, many health services
Eziuzo explained that one of the project's major goals is to
change how people view Primary Health Centres by encouraging them to access
several healthcare services during a single visit.
She noted that beyond offering technical support to health
workers, JHPIEGO is working closely with community leaders and stakeholders to
create awareness about available services and increase demand for them.
"Our emphasis is on integration," she explained.
"If someone visits a Primary Health Centre because of a simple headache,
that visit should also become an opportunity to learn about other services
available, including family planning, antenatal care, malaria prevention, HIV
screening, HPV vaccination and other preventive healthcare services."
She stressed that healthcare should not be approached as
isolated interventions but as a coordinated system where individuals can
conveniently receive multiple services during one hospital visit.
Describing the media briefing as part of the project's
community engagement strategy, she said journalists remain critical partners in
ensuring accurate health information reaches every household.
She thanked media practitioners for their continued support
and appealed for sustained collaboration to help spread awareness about the
project across communities.
Media praised as trusted bridge between
health experts and the public
Chairperson of the Nigeria
Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nnamdi Azikiwe University FM Chapel, Dr Chika Nnabife, commended JHPIEGO
and MESHI for recognising the important role journalists play in public health
communication.
She said regular engagement with the media helps reporters
understand complex health issues, thereby reducing misinformation and ensuring
the public receives accurate and reliable information.
Dr Nnabife observed that many Nigerians wrongly believe
Primary Health Centres are meant only for pregnant women or low-income
families, whereas the facilities provide a broad range of essential health
services for everyone.
She described service integration as a practical approach
that enables people to access several healthcare interventions in one location,
adding that journalists have a responsibility to amplify such messages so more
citizens can benefit.
Expressing appreciation to both organisations, she said the
partnership would strengthen public understanding of available healthcare
services while supporting efforts to improve health outcomes across communities.
MESHI takes health awareness directly
to communities
In her remarks, Programme Manager of the Malaria Eradication and Safe Health Initiative of Nigeria (MESHI),
Chioma Nnagbogu, said the
organisation was engaged by JHPIEGO to drive community mobilisation and grassroots
awareness for the SRHR/CD Project.
She explained that MESHI works directly with traditional
institutions, community leaders and other local stakeholders to encourage
residents to utilise services provided in participating Primary Health Centres.
According to her, the project promotes service integration
by helping people understand that health facilities offer much more than
maternity services.
She listed the project's key focus areas to include
increasing awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights, promoting family
planning, educating communities about the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for cervical cancer prevention,
strengthening knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, addressing
gender-based violence and improving the overall health and wellbeing of women,
adolescents, young people and the wider population.
Nnagbogu also encouraged residents to take advantage of free
or affordable screening services for HIV, tuberculosis, syphilis and other
communicable diseases, as well as counselling, condom distribution and other
preventive healthcare services available at Primary Health Centres.
Primary Health Centres are for everyone
Also speaking, Ogechukwu
Onyejedum, Programme Officer with MESHI, described the organisation as
an Anambra-based non-governmental organisation working with JHPIEGO to improve
public health through community education and mobilisation.
She said field officers regularly visit communities to
educate residents on HPV vaccination, gender-based violence prevention, sexual
and reproductive health rights and the importance of accessing integrated
healthcare services.
Onyejedum stressed that Primary Health Centres are designed
to serve everyone—not only women and children—but also men, adolescents and
young people seeking preventive or curative healthcare.
She urged community members to visit the nearest
participating Primary Health Centre for counselling, screening, referrals and
other available health services, noting that healthier communities begin when
people embrace preventive healthcare rather than waiting until illnesses become
severe.
She added that with sustained collaboration among healthcare
providers, community leaders and the media, more families would be empowered to
make informed health decisions, leading to healthier communities where quality
healthcare is accessible to all.
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