USAID funded Integrated Health Program (IHP) commences a three-day training on Maternal, Perinatal, Child Death Survival Response (MPCDSR) for members of Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative (J4PD).
The training which is being held at Misau local government area of Bauchi state, is aimed at addressing sociocultural problems contributing to maternal, newborn and child deaths.
In a welcome remark at Misau, the State Technical Director for IHP, Dr Ibrahim Kabo said considering the experience and exposure of the participants the training would be an interactive one.
He stressed that journalists have the power to change nations through their investigative and well researched stories.
Dr Kabo however said without research, right knowledge and information, the media has little or no impact to make in the society, hence the need for IHP to come up with the training so as to arm the participants with the latest requirements of reporting public health issues.
Taking the participants through objectives of the capacity building, the Knowledge Management Specialist for IHP in Bauchi, Mr Boniface Kassam said, it was to increase knowledge of the Journalists on magnitude of maternal, newborn and child deaths as well as enumerate evidence-based interventions towards preventing same.
The participants were introduced to the rudiments of Quality of Care and Quality Improvement to reduce maternal, newborn and child deaths as well as causes of maternal, newborn and child deaths.
They were educated on factors such as delays in accessing care, which contribute a lot in maternal, newborn and child deaths.
The training will in the remaining days expose the participants to their roles and contribution towards reducing the burden and define modalities of media reporting of maternal, newborn and child deaths.
The participants will in the concluding part of the training embark on a field visit to dig firsthand information that would form the basis of their subsequent reportage with a view to draw government and societal attention to address the identified problems.