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FG emphasises importance of social norms,  behaviour change for national health

Health

By Abujah Racheal

Abuja, June 5, 2024(NAN)The Federal Government has highlighted the crucial role of shifting social norms and behavioural change in maintaining the nation’s health.

Prof. Muhammad Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, said this at Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria Learning and  Transition event with the theme  “Celebrating Successes, Consolidating Learning, and Transitioning for Sustainability”.

 The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Breakthrough ACTION has been USAID’s global flagship Social and Behavior Change Project for the past seven years.

In Nigeria, the project worked to improve the practice of priority health behaviors across multiple programme areas.

The areas include maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), nutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and priority zoonotic diseases (PZDs).

Pate,who was represented by Dr Binyerem Ukaire, Director of Family Health, Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), congratulated Breakthrough Action Nigeria (BA-N) for their innovative contributions to health communication and social behavior change.

The minister noted that Breakthrough Action Nigeria’s efforts had been instrumental in reaching millions of Nigerians, fostering healthier practices, and empowering communities with vital health knowledge.

“Social and behavior change for the right healthy behavior is critical to achieving our health goals and targets.

“This focus on behavior change is particularly significant for the Federal Ministry of Health and the Department of Family Health, he said.

He praised BA-N’s impact in areas such as disease prevention, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health, and nutrition.

“By promoting healthier lifestyles, BA-N’s initiatives have made significant strides in improving health outcomes,” he said.

He underscored that the Ministry of Health remained committed to enhancing the health of every Nigerian and that the collaborative efforts with BA-N  demonstrated the power of synergy in achieving national health goals.

He acknowledged the importance of the event, not only as a celebration of successes but also, as a platform to reflect on future strategies.

“The insights and learnings shared will help shape more effective and sustainable health interventions moving forward,” he said.

He expressed sincere gratitude to BA-N, partners, stakeholders, and frontline health workers for their dedication and hard work.

“Your contributions are invaluable and deeply appreciated,” he said, extending his best wishes for a fruitful and enlightening event.

He expressed hope that the National Learning and Transition event would serve as a catalyst for continued innovation, collaboration, and progress in the mission to improve health outcomes for all Nigerians.

NAN reports that Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria Learning and Transition Health indices in Nigeria have been driven by many factors.

The public health approach, social and behavior change identifies what individuals and communities believe and how they behave, then develops innovative strategies so they can adopt healthier behaviors and access vital health services.

Since it started working in Nigeria, the project used a multifaceted approach–including mass media, community outreach, and user-driven social media campaigns-to inspire long-lasting change.

These efforts resulted in positive changes across several health areas including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition and malaria, tuberculosis and COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Among countless other findings, Breakthrough ACTION found that women who participated in community activities were significantly more likely to practice multiple preventive behaviors compared  to women who did not participate.

These include at least four antenatal visits during pregnancy, delivering the safety of a health facility, exclusive breastfeeding, consuming diverse diet, and receiving preventive malaria medication at least three times during pregnancy.(NAN) www.nannews.ng

AIR/VIV

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Edited by Vivian Ihechu

Development
Lilian Okoro
Lagos, May 5, 2024 (NAN) A Professor of Human Resources Management, Foluso Jayeoba, has urged administrative professionals to focus on cooperation and collaboration rather than competition to enhance their productivity and service delivery.

Jayeoba of the Department of Industrial Relations and Human Resources, Lagos State University, Ojo, gave the advice at a lecture organised by the Administrative Department, Federal Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital Yaba, on Wednesday in Lagos.

The lecture was organised to mark the ‘2024 Administrative Professionals’ Day’.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme of the programme is: “System Thinking for Effective Organisational Performance”.

Jayeoba, also the keynote speaker at the programme, said that administrative professionals should work together to be able to deliver largely toward achieving the goal of the organisation.

According to him, more achievements will be made when work are done collectively rather than individuals, stressing that workers should focus on system thinking by working toward the overall goals and objectives of their organisations.

He explained that every part of the organisation was as important as the other, saying it was important to understand the need for interaction between all the parts of an organisation if the set goals would be actualised.

He identified the benefits of system thinking to include enhanced productivity, improved decision making and enhanced problem solving, amongst others.

“The perception of system thinking as implied in the theme, entails that people should work together to deliver effectively to the clients and equally meet the purpose of the organisation.

“No individual is bigger than the organization. So, if the workers cooperate and collaborate, there will be room for increased productivity.

“If workers should have that perception of system thinking, works become easy and people will have the right attitude toward work and there won’t be competition but rather cooperation,” Jayeoba said.

Prof. Akin Osibogun of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said that the roles of administrators were critical to the implementation of policies and overall management of an organisation.

Osibogun, also Chairman of the programme, said that administrators were the custodian of rules and regulations of an organisation, saying that without them, effective management in an organisation might be jeopardised.

“Administration department is the pillar of an organisation. I am excited that administrative professionals of the hospital are developing this skill.

“Be mindful that it’s a journey that requires continuous development through skills acquisitions, trainings and learning. There are bound to be challenges on the way but I pay that God will see you through,” Osibogun said.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Olugbenga Owoeye, urged the administrative professionals to continually develop and update themselves with the new developments in the profession for effective performance.

According to him, the administrative professionals should be more devoted to their jobs, while upholding the ethics of the profession.

Owoeye, who congratulated the administrative professionals for their self-developments and organising the programme, said it was a wake-up call for other various departments in the hospital.

“Personal development is key; ensure you continually update and develop yourselves with the developments in the profession as well as the ethics.

“I congratulate the administrative department for coming up to develop themselves and organise this programme.

“It is like encouraging other various departments in the hospital to follow suit,” Owoeye said.

Earlier, the Director of Administration of the hospital, Dr Adeyinka Atiwe, called on administrative professionals to develop work culture/ethics to enhance their performance and productivity.

Atiwe said that workers’ attitude to work needed to improve in terms of the hour, way and methods devoted to the work so that the productivity would improve.

According to him, workers’ inputs must be equal to the outputs but some workers wanted to be paid even without doing work.

“Basically, work ethics and culture need to improve; the way we do our work, the hours we give to the work, must improve so that our performance can also improve.

“So that at the end of it all, you can now boldly make a demand for your organisation to compensate you accordingly.

“Unfortunately, some people want to be paid even when they did not work.

“As a nation, the first thing to do is to ensure we have a good work culture so that we raise the productivity level of the country.

“And as we raise the productivity and we are well; then we can tell the government to give us more for what we are doing and also bring to task those in governance if they are not doing what we expect them to do,” Atiwe said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
LUC/AJA
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Edited by Adeleye Ajayi

Health

By Abujah Racheal

Abuja, June 5, 2024 (NAN) Dr Binyerem Ukaire, Director of Family Health at the Federal Ministry of Health, has said that continuous education and behavior change are needed to improve public health outcomes.

Ukaire said this on Wednesday in Abuja, at Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria Learning and Transition event with the theme – “Celebrating Successes, Consolidating Learning, and Transitioning for Sustainability”.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that Breakthrough Action has been USAID’s global flagship social and behaviour change project for the past seven years.

In Nigeria, the project has worked to improve the practice of priority health behaviours across multiple programme areas including – Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH), family planning, nutrition, malaria, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and priority zoonotic diseases.

Highlighting the collaborative efforts between Breakthrough  Action and the Federal Ministry of Health, she called for sustained initiatives to enhance reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health, and nutrition services across the country.

“Changing people’s behaviours, practices, and attitudes is indeed challenging, but it is achievable through serious efforts to improve their knowledge.

“Everyone aspires to be healthy, and often, the barriers to achieving this are rooted in ignorance,” she said.

She said that Breakthrough Action had made significant strides in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, including training health officers at federal and state levels to ensure sustainability of health projects.

“These efforts are crucial for achieving both national health targets and global goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage,” she said.

She stressed the importance of individuals taking responsibility for their health.

“Governments at all levels can provide support, but ultimately, individuals play a critical role in maintaining their health.

“It is essential for Nigerians to adopt healthy behaviours, take charge of their health, and reap the benefits,” she said.

The director praised the advocacy work done to educate government leaders at various levels, the development of information, education and communication materials, and the use of media to spread health messages.

“States must take ownership of these health initiatives to ensure the continuous improvement of public health,” she urged.

Furthermore, she called for ongoing education and consistent messaging to influence and reinforce positive health behaviors.

“We must continue to educate our people, encourage them to embrace the right behaviours and avoid conflicting messages from cultural or religious sources.

“It is vital to evaluate health messages and recognise their benefits for our well-being,” she said.

She reiterated the importance of sustained efforts in health education and behaviour change, supported by both government initiatives and individual responsibility as essential for improving public health and achieving long-term health goals in Nigeria.

NAN reports that Breakthrough Action Nigeria Learning and Transition health indices in Nigeria have been driven by many factors.

Since it started working in Nigeria, the project uses  multi-faceted approach,  including mass media, community outreach, and user-driven social media campaigns, to inspire long-lasting change. (NAN) www.nannews.ng

AIR/IGO 

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Edited by Ijeoma Popoola