Don Hinges Health Promotion On Social Mobilisation

ANon-Governmental Organisation, SERWA Rural Health Initiative SRHI, has said that social mobilistaion in promoting health is pivotal.

A lectures at the Department of Social Sciences, Rivers State College of Arts and Sciences, Rumuola, Dr Viene Chukwu stated this at a one-day free health seminar organized by SERWA Rural Health Initiative, SRHI, Sunday.

Dr Chuku said social mobilization in promoting health was inevitable because, people usually do not tow the prevention path to their medical issues, saying that they would rather wait until it was critical before seeking medical help.

Speaking on the importance of Social Mobilisation in Health Promotion in Nigeria, Chuku attributed this attitude to ignorance and poverty and gave a charge on behavior change.

He said to achieve mass mobilization, Nigerians need first to change their attitude to health and realize the importance of health.

He called for partnership between the government, NGOs and the media to actualize this.

In her paper, “Treating spiritual attacks, a Senior Registrar, the Department of Psychiatry, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Onyema Abazie, said spiritual attack was a cultural belief emanating from self serving bias.

Abazie noted that when people do not want to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, they tend to blame it on spiritual attacks.

She explained that this kind of behavior  usually lead to health challenges, affect the individuals social life and also affect parenting.

She used the opportunity to encourage people who know they are not functioning properly in their daily routine to seek psychiatric help to ascertain if medication was needed.  She also said anyone taking up a new position need psychological testing to be able to function properly in that position.

National Coordinator, SRHI, Edmund Anuforo, said the seminar was to  enlighten people on the importance of preventive health and educated participants on knowledge of malaria, its prevention and proper treatment.

Dr Anuforo also said testing before treatment and the use of long lasting insecticidal nets and clean environment were important in the prevention and elimination of malaria.

High point of the seminar was the distribution of free anti-malarial drugs, free testing and distribution of free of  LLWs.

Tonye Nria-Dappa