Media practitioners at the workshop
An International donor partners, Save the Children supported by a Non Governmental Organization GlaxoSmithKline GSK has trained media practitioners from Lagos, jigawa state and FCT on Pneumonia other child killer diseases reporting.
Declaring the two-day workshop open, on the role of the Media in tackling childhood pneumonia in Nigeria, representative of GlaxoSmithKline Dr Abass Sanni commended state governments, health workers, media as well as the communities for support and cooperation given to them in the campaign against pneumonia.
Dr Abass Sanni said GSK would continue to render their contribution to the state governments and NGO’s to achieve the desired set objectives.
Earlier in a welcome address, the chief of party Inspiring project, Dr Adamu Isah explained that the training workshop was aimed at building the capacity of their media partners for the success of the campaign against pneumonia.
According to him, media has a major role to play in transforming public understanding and attitude about the child killer disease.
Dr Adamu Isah noted that some of the role include, how to access available public healthcare services, monitoring and evaluation reports to promote accountability.
“The campaign against pneumonia which is first its kind intervention in Nigeria is operating only in Lagos and Jigawa states in the last 3 years”
“From 2018 to date, Save the Children has trained hundreds of community volunteers, health workers and other key stakeholders on Pneumonia Infection, Prevention and Control” the chief also stated.
According to him, they also provide some intervention such as donation of clinical Oxygen, Covid-19 Protection equipments and other related equipment to health facilities in Lagos and Jigawa states.
The Chief of Party Inspiring project, added that several years Pneumonia had been killing children without listing it among major child killer disease.
Dr Adamu said in order to bring out the endemic scourge of the disease, Save the Children choose Lagos being a metropolitan state and also Jigawa as a rural state for their pilot intervention, which according to him, the problem can be address in all the 36 states of the federation.
“The project is all inclusive ,we are using the existing National policy on Pneumonia and oxygen, and community member for our campaign against pneumonia infection disease”~ Dr Adamu Isah
He added that presently, hundreds of parents as well as school children under their pilot areas were aware about the symptoms of pneumonia, noting that this is a milestone towards reducing the menace of the disease to barest minimal level in Nigeria.
COV/USMAN MZ, JIGAWA