By Rasaq Adebayo
A good health advocacy, Nigeria Health Watch, and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board have entered into partnership with the Association of Practitioners of Community Media (APCOM) to disseminate accurate health inflation to the public.
It was gathered that health misinformation has done great damage to the society, which must be stopped.
In the partnership agreement, APCOM is saddled with the responsibility of enlightening the public by disseminating accurate health information the various media platforms u under the association.
Speaking during an interactive session with APCOM in Lagos recently, the Program Manager of Nigeria Health Watch, Mr. Abara Etim, emphasized the importance of community media practitioners in disseminating health information to community dwellers.
According to him, the collaboration is essential to forestall further damage misinformation could cause to the society.
“We cannot achieve this alone, but with a smooth collaboration with community media practitioners, we can create impact,” he said.
Also speaking, the Public Health Officer from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, representing the Primary Health Care Board, Mrs. Temidayo Adewuyi, said the partnership is timely, promising that the State government will key into the initiative and be committed to it.
She said: “This is a laudable initiative that we would like to key into. We have executed various health programs in the past, and health advocacy is one of our top priorities.”
Responding, the APCOM’s National President, Mr. Abayomi Adejumo, said the association will make concerted effort to promote accurate health information and dispel harmful misconceptions, urging the bodies to make the partnership worthwhile.
Also commenting, the Acting Public Relations Officer of APCOM, Mr. Oloyede Kolawole, urged them to continue communicating with community media practitioners, emphasising APCOM’s readiness to partner with them.
He appreciated the representatives of Nigeria Health Watch and the Lagos State Primary Health Care Board for creating an opportunity for deliberation.
