Niger state Commissioner for secondary and tertiary health Dr. Bello Tukur has said combatting health misinformation is everybody’s business.
The commissioner stated this while delivering a keynote address during the health misinformation management fellowship orientation programme, organized by Nigeria Health Watch (NHW) in collaboration with Niger state Ministry of primary healthcare and that of secondary and tertiary health, held at Guidel Hotel, Minna, Friday.
He observed that the issue of health misinformation had transcends border, beliefs and background, and it affects every life, family and community in the state and beyond, hence it is everybody’s business.
Health misinformation according to the Commissioner is very dangerous and a threat to the health sector as it has crepts into our lives through social media, whispers through the grapevine and finds its way into our most trusted news sources and communities.
He said it has distorted facts, undermined trust and threaten the foundations of public health.
He pointed out that the fight against health misinformation was critical and it is everybody’s business because it jeopardizes lives, undermines the very fabric of our healthcare system and it increases health disparities.
He disclosed that in keeping in line with the vision of Governor Umar Bago, to use innovative solutions in moving the state forward in all facet of development, the two state health ministries were collaborating with Nigeria Health Watch to ensure that Nigerlites and Nigerians are well equipt with tools and knowledge to make informed decisions about their health.
Dr. Tukur who was represented at the occasion by the director planning, research and statistics of the ministry, Pharmacist Hamza Tijjani Yahaya also revealed that the launching of the Niger state Health Misinformation Management Fellowship was birthed by the result of the 2022 project piloted by NHW in combatting health misinformation in the state.
Giving an overview of the health misinformation management fellowship programme, the NHW Director of programmes, Dr. Kemisola Agbaoye said the fellowship programme is a dynamic and intensive programme designed to address the challenges posed by vaccine hesitancy and the dissemination of false health information.
She explained that the fellowship was a strategic response to the rapid spread of misinformation which poses a significant threat to public health, and it was not an isolated endeavor but an integral component of the broader Health Misinformation Management Project
