Reporting Health Related matters in rural Communities, a tool for uplifting lives of rural dwellers – Expert

By Abdullahi Kano

A media expert and a lecturer with the Department of Communication Studies Bayero University Kano Dr Rukayya Aliyu has Charged Journalist to imbibe the culture of reporting Health related matter in rural areas with the aim of uplifting the health status of the public.

Dr Rukayya Aliyu stated this during  workshop organized by, solace base communication in collaboration with Wole Soyinka center  for investigative journalism,with support from MacArthur foundation, on investigative and data driven journalism on health reporting especially at the grassroots level,held in Kano.

She said journalist have a great role to play in the aspect of informing those in authority the real situation on ground on health related matters in rural areas through fair and just reportage .

Presently a paper titled safety and security of journalists the vice chancellor,federal university, Kashere, Gombe state and President Association of communication scholars and professionals of Nigeria,Professor Umaru Pate, urged journalist to be security conscious while conducting investigative journalism.

According to Professor Pate, economic security,legal security,job security,physical security , among others, are key factors in ensuring safety and security for investigative journalists.

Earlier in his opening remarks,the editor in chief, Solacebase online newspaper, Abdullaleef Abubakar Jos,pointed out that the capacity building workshop would equip journalists with knowledge of tracking funds,investigating and ensuring effectiveness of primary health care in the country.

He said, journalists have a vital role to play, by using modern investigative skills to collaborate with civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to achieve the desired objectives.

“To check government spending,human resources distribution and availability of primary health care in rural communities”

In their saperate presentations,Ojetunde Damilola,Haruna Muhammad,Kabiru Saidu  Dakata,enlightened journalists on modern ways of data journalism.

The workshop titled ‘investigative and data driven journalism: Training on Primary Health care reporting attracted journalists from print,broadcast and online media.