The Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos council, Mr Adeleye Ajayi, has called on journalists to be relentless learners.
Ajayi made the call on Friday at the unveiling of ‘MyPHC Report’ and a health tool, ‘checkmyphc.org’, in Lagos.
The unveiling was at the instance of Orodata Science, a data science and analytics company.
Ajayi is also a Deputy Editor-In-Chief at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and its Head of Lagos Operations.
He gave an overview on Civic Tech and Adaptability with insight on how NAN had managed to stay afloat with evolving technology and media trends through the years.
Ajayi was represented at the occasion by Mrs Vivian Ihechu, an Assistant Editor-in-Chief (AEIC) at NAN.
He said that journalists should read, learn, collaborate, attend conferences, media trainings and put to practice the lessons learned in order to be relevant in the industry.
According to Ajayi, technology has made engagements and information dissemination more enhanced.
He said that, though with its pitfalls, citizens and governments engagements had been enhanced to buttress the importance of technology.
Ajayi also stressed the importance of readiness and willingness to learn, adapt, as new things emerge every day.
NAN reports that the ‘MyPHC Report’ and ‘checkmyphc.org’ are aimed at enhancing healthcare services at Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across Nigeria.
The project was in partnership with Africa Data Hub.
Also, Mr John Eromosele, Country Operation Leader, Orodata Science, said that the project would improve access to healthcare services, patient engagement, infrastructure analysis, and staff welfare analysis.
He added that it would also provide African journalists and stakeholders access to and use of data on health and development.
According to him, the app’s features and functions include real-time data updates for accurate information, and options to download and export data.
This is for further analysis as well as interactive map with zoom functionality for location-based data exploration.
Eromosele said the MyPHC Report (MyPrimary Health Care Report) highlighted the critical condition of Nigeria’s Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
It also calls for urgent interventions from governments, NGOs and health institutions.
According to him, the Nigerian healthcare system is deteriorating, with PHCs showing significant infrastructural and operational weaknesses.
”Orodata Science is conducted research findings in six states across Nigeria: Anambra, Benue, Cross River, Osun, Sokoto, and Taraba.
”The app is providing images of each healthcare center in these states, offering valuable insights into the current state of primary healthcare infrastructure.
”Dedicated to innovation and excellence in healthcare, Orodata Science is also providing information for health journalists and facilitating data collection.
”As the organisation expands its services and reach, Orodata SCience is poised to play a vital role in transforming primary healthcare services for the better,’’ he said.
During a panel session, Eromoseke urged corporate and media organisations and institutions to collaborate with Orodata Science to create more awareness about the MyPHC REPORT database.
He also urged them to utilise resources from the platform in their stories and researches.
”We’re a community with the purpose of bringing communities and building synergies to see how collectively we can make a positive change.
”We don’t just depend on the government, but also support the government and every other parastatal to solve these common social problems,’’ he said.
Mrs Naiyejo Hannah, the Lead Data Analyst for Orodata Science, said that the MyPHC Report database aimed at revitalising health institutions towards effective service delivery.
Hannah described Orodata Science as an organisation with 10 years track record, providing ready-made and available database to organisations and institutions to enable them to do their work to promote Public Healthcare.
”We are here to empower—which is, our major task is empowering citizens, institutions and organisation with our field work, data collection and investigations.
”We bridge the gap of finding it and we’ve been able to come out with this data set.
”But we didn’t just come up with raw data set, we’ve done the analysis; we’ve come up with some of these key indicators, which as a citizen, you can have access to in order to understand what is even going on around you and be more aware.
”Therefore, my PHC tool has been able to bridge that gap and also become an enabler for media houses to also tell their stories with a lot of confidence,’’ she said.
Hannah said that primary health centres in rural areas were in pitiable conditions mostly due to systemic issues and mismanagement of fund allocations provided by the government.
She urged local autonomies to take charge of allocations in order to achieve more credibility and better utilisation of fundings.
The event also recognised some journalists who embarked on investigative coverage of public healthcare centres in some rural communities. (NAN)
