
Niger State government in collaboration with Nigeria Health Watch (NHW) has inaugurated cohort 1 track two of the Niger State Health Misinformation Management Fellowship programme.
In his remarks, Commissioner for Primary Healthcare, Dr Ibrahim Dangana observed that a single piece of misinformation whether intentional or unintentional can erode decades of progress in public health.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Abdullahi Imam, the Commissioner said health misinformation undermined efforts of health practitioners to promote healthy communities and in some cases leads to death.
He added that the health misinformation management fellowship programme could not come at a better time than now that the world is grappling with increasing challenges in safeguarding the health of our communities, not only from diseases but from the waves of misinformation which spread so fast.
The Commissioner also informed the fellows that the programme is not only to equip them to be defenders of the truth but to also help them recognize where they as professionals may be unintentionally contributing to escalate the problem they were trying to solve.
Earlier, the Director of Planning, Research and Statistics of the state Ministry of Primary Healthcare, Dr Junaidu Inuwa revealed that there were a lot of risks and hazards within the public health space caused by misinformation, saying they will be relying on the fellows to combat it.
He urged the participants to pay attention to the robust interaction that will take place within the period of the training so as to put it into practice in their respective communities after the training.
The programme manager of the NHW, Mr. Abara Erim observed that information is now an intervention, especially in the public health space, saying addressing health misinformation requires a multifaceted and multidisciplinary approach.
He said the second track of the fellowship programme is for health service providers comprising doctors, nurses, midwives, traditional birthday attendants, and traditional medicine vendors among others, adding the programme aimed at making them effectively discharge their duties.
He said the goal of the NHW is to ensure that Nigerians have access to the right information they need to make an informed decision concerning their health, saying this is what they were working hard to achieve.