Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire.
By Marie-Therese Nanlong
Jos – As the World Health Day is marked, governments at all levels in Nigeria have been tasked to prioritize issues of health, increase budgetary allocations for health and ensure the timely release of funds for health-related matters.
The Media Action for Health, Environment, and Sustainable Development (MAHESD) made the call in a statement issued in Jos on Thursday and signed by Gwamkat Gwamzhi and Godwin Moses, its Programme Officer, and Secretary respectively.
MAHESD also asked that the governments should adhere to environmental laws as doing so would ensure a healthy population, stressing that it is only a healthy environment that can engender healthy people.
According to the statement, “MAHESD wishes to on this year’s occasion of World Health Day calling on Governments at all levels to prioritize the health and well being of its citizens by ensuring that increased budgetary allocation is given to the health sector and ensure that environmental laws are adhered to do ensure a healthy population.
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“MAHESD as a group concerned with the existence of a healthy population wishes to state that there is a nexus between a healthy environment and healthy people,” noting, “The 2022 World Health Day’s theme ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ is apt and timely as the World Health Organization (WHO) has continued to focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being…”
MAHESD however appealed to citizens to ensure a clean environment as this translates to healthy well-being, called on the media to intensify awareness of environmental sanitation urged the government to reintroduce strict sanitation exercises observe on Saturdays while it makes available waste collection bins to avoid them littering streets.
