Rahab Yusuf
Journalists in Kano State have been encouraged to use evidence-based health reporting to promote accountability, drive policy reforms, and strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
The call was made on Tuesday during a one-day Media Roundtable Dialogue on Evidence-Based Health Reporting and Public Discourse, organised by the Kano State Ministry of Health in partnership with the International Society for Media in Public Health (ISMPH) and the EngenderHealth Consortium, at BON Hotel in Kano.
The dialogue brought together journalists, media organisations, civil society groups, and other relevant health stakeholders to enhance their capacity to produce evidence-based health reports and strengthen collaboration among the media, government, and civil society organisations (CSOs) in promoting transparency and improving healthcare delivery.
Declaring the workshop open, Solomon Dogo, who represented the Executive Director of ISMPH, Moji Makanjuola, described the training as a step towards improving public accountability, which ultimately leads to better healthcare delivery.
“The workshop is designed to equip journalists with tools on Primary Health Care (PHC), Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS), health insurance data, and accountability scorecards.”
He added, “These tools can be transformed into compelling, accurate, and solutions-focused stories that improve public understanding and strengthen healthcare accountability.”
He further emphasised that journalists need to use data to interrogate healthcare systems, celebrate areas of progress, identify gaps, and influence positive policy reforms.
The Kano State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, highlighted the vital role of journalists as reliable sources of information for the public and urged them to ensure their reports are evidence-based.
“People accept whatever comes from journalists as the truth. Journalists should not use this opportunity to spread fear but to counter health misinformation and serve as reliable, trustworthy sources, especially during health crises.”
He also called on journalists to monitor the distribution of healthcare commodities in Kano to ensure they reach the intended beneficiaries and are used responsibly.
The workshop concluded with a panel discussion involving journalists, civil society organizations, and healthcare stakeholders.
The Director of the Kano State Primary Health Care Management Board(KPHMCB), Prof. Salisu Ahmad, noted that poor verification by some journalists has contributed to the spread of contradictory information.
He urged journalists to ensure balance, accuracy, and proper verification in their reporting.
Khadija Aliyu, a representative from Radio Nigeria at the panel, said during the panel discussion that journalists need to be carried along, kept informed and actively involved in health development activities to enable them to provide factual and accurate reports to the public.
The organisers said more media training sessions on healthcare reporting would be organised to further strengthen journalists’ capacity to produce accurate, evidence-based reports.
