TheCable

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has commended the intervention of some non-governmental organisations for bridging healthcare gap in the health sector.

Speaking during a media roundtable in Abuja, Emmanuel Ogbeche, chairman of the NUJ FCT chapter, lauded Smile Train, Save the Children, Sight Savers and fhi360 for their significant impact in the sector.

He said there is need to encourage more investments in Nigeria’s health sector to guarantee the wellbeing of citizens and reduce health tourism.

According to Ogbeche, the partnership between Smile Train, a global cleft organisation with the West African College of Surgeons, and the National Surgical, Obstetric, Anaesthesia and Nursing Plan (NSOANP) has resulted in the training of hundreds of personnel in the health system.

“Interventions like these are rare and deserve our attention and time as journalists to ensure that the awareness reaches the grassroots so that everybody can benefit. As journalists, it’s our duty to create this awareness and end the stigma that is still associated with cleft in our society,” Ogbeche said.

“Several NGOs have designed interventions mostly for children and mothers, but the awareness is little especially for those living in the rural areas. Reaching people with opportunities should be the cardinal goal of development journalism in the 21st century and not just reporting on the economy and politics.

“We must collaborate with organizations that seek to improve the quality of life of the people at all times even when it is not convenient, as a token of our service to Nigeria.”

Smile Train has, over the last decade, performed more than 30,000 cleft surgeries at no cost to Nigerians and also assisted healthcare institutions in the areas of manpower development, equipment procurement and maintenance and upgrade across the country.