EKPOMA – A professor of Health Education, Oshiobugie Anavberokhai has challenged health educators in the country to evolve better strategies to empower the populace with necessary health information to engender better health for Nigerians.
He made the call while delivering the 84th Inaugural Lecture of the Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, Edo State, titled, “Targeted Health Education Interventions: An Impactful Pathway to Improving Health of Nigerians”.
Prof. Anavberokhai urged professional health education associations in the country to rise up to the challenge and mobilise their members to improve the health of Nigerians.
He noted that health educators by virtue of their training were exceptionally endowed to educate the populace on health.
He therefore charged them to as a matter of necessity harness their skills and techniques to advance the educational therapy to improve the health of Nigerians.
He said the successs that had acrcrued from targeted health education interventions in the areas of HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Family Planning, Lassa Fever and National Programme on immunisation were pointers to the effectiveness of health education in mitigating health problems when properly harnessed.
“At the last count, over 60 tertiary institutions in Nigeria offer courses in Health education leading to the award of Nigeria Certificate of Education (NCE), bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy Ph.D degree certificates.
“”When a student graduates from any these higher institutions, he has acquired enough knowledge and skills to go beyond making his or her health problems the only concern.
“He owes the society the responsibility to apply these knowledge and skills to reach the greatest number of people to improve their health. Anything short of this is disservice to the people.
“Practically, all health exigencies have “educational therapy”. They must harness their skills and techniques to advance the educational therapy to improve the health of Nigerians”, he posited.
