The Director of Finance, Pan-African Female Youth Leaders (PANAFYL), Miss Vera Indutimi Dekawei, has called on the government and non-government organisations (NGOs) to give more focus on health sensitization so as to create more awareness in Nigerians and to lay to rest misconceived notions by the misinformed in society.

Miss Dekawei gave the counsel at the recently concluded one-day Health Sensitization Exercise hosted by PANAFYL in collaboration with other NGOs at the Sand Filled 2 community in Ogbe-Ijoh Warri Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, on Wednesday, October 16, 2024.

NGOs that participated in the exercise that was attended by women and children, include the Legionnaire For Mankind's Health, John Dekawei Foundation, Medical Women's Association of Nigeria (MWAN), Endybekx Initiatives for Children and Women Development, and Safe Aid Foundation (SAF).

On sensitization, Dr. Onyi Owa-Nwabuzo (representing the President of MWAN, Dr. Olive Ogelle) spoke on Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines and cervical cancer as well as gave a brief cross examination exercise on how to detect breast cancer in women; while Dr. Joy Egbabile, a member of MWAN Delta State, gave a sensitization on malnutrition.

The CEO of Legionnaire for Mankind’s Health, Dr. Josef Franzek, spoke on general health and malnutrition, while Mrs. Nyowheoma Happy, a Health Educator/Social Mobilisation Officer from the Health Department in Ogbe-Ijoh, spoke on family planning.

Speaking on the exercise, the host, Miss Dekawei, revealed that the choice of Sand Filled 2 community arose from findings which showed that the inhabitants of the riverine settlement haboured misconceptions on vaccines and other preventive measures against life threatening ailments.

She said, "The quickest access to health for every community is health centre. But you and I know that a huge number of health centres do not really function in their full capacity especially in sensitization. For instance, the government recently brought in a vaccine for age of 9 to 14, so that the vaccine can go round. Now, in the bid of trying to bring out these vaccines to these people, some have their own notion about it.

"For instance, some believe that if a young girl takes the vaccine, she will not conceive. That is a very huge misconception. Now, it is one thing for you to bring out vaccine, it is another thing for you to be able to educate these people about what you are giving to them. Before you take any drugs, it is only right for you to know exactly the contents of the drug and the use, and why you need to take that drug.

"But then they do not go the extra mile to want to educate these people to make them understand and know exactly why they need to take these vaccines. People are really scared of what they see and what they don't know. A lot of persons die from cervical cancer without the public knowing that this person actually died of cervical cancer. Why? Because it takes a long period of time for this virus to grow and becomes cervical cancer, unlike measles that is common and we get to see in children. So these people, most of the time are not helping and the government do not really have too much time to embark on sensitization," she noted 

She called on other NGOs to key into health awareness programmes to make existing medical solutions to health challenges to be embraced by the people, just as she charged communities to also embrace such programmes and give their health the priority attention it deserves.

"More NGOs should look into health sector because if you go to the hospital, that's just when you realize that a lot of people are sick. So I think more NGOs really need to look into the health sector. I know they are really doing a lot, but they should also look into sensitizing people to know more of these things.

"We should also encourage communities to also welcome NGOs and other organizations when they come to carry out such sensitizations, as well as Nigerians should pay more attention to their health. The race to make money coupled with the harsh economic reality of the times have made so many negligent to matters of health," she noted.

The health sensitization exercise at the Sand Filled 2 community also witnessed the giving out of vaccines against Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), HPV, measles to children, as well as the handing out of deworming medicines to those in attendance.

PANAFYL is a network of young female leaders across the African Continent who are committed to advance the Pan African agenda and Empowering the African women.

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