Empowering personal health initiatives in Nigeria, the need for the government to take core responsibility for the health safety of all Nigerians cannot be over emhpasised. The global covid-19 pandemic has shown us as a nation that our health sector does not only need a revamp, it needs a total overhaul and a 100% government attention.
Nigerians on daily basis suffer from preventable and avoidable sicknesses. Malaria, cholera and a host of other diseases are some of the leading cause of death in the country. Nigeria records the highest cases of Malaria globally. The 2019 World malaria Report revealed that there were 405,000 deaths related to Malaria in 2018 with 94 percent of the death in Africa. Unfortunately Nigeria accounted for 24 percent of the global malaria death.
In spite the policy on ground to eradicate the reoccurrence of cholera in the country, Nigeria continues to experience frequent outbreak of the disease. The outbreak of cholera in Nigeria has remained persistent since the beginning of 2018. In July 2018, 367 new suspected cases with four deaths were reported in Adamawa, Bauchi, Katsina, Niger, Plateau, and Zamfara.
Cholera and malaria are diseases that can be prevented by personal and collective hygiene and healthy initiatives by the community. However this is possible if the government lays the foundation for all Nigerians and communities to initiate personal hygiene practices.
For the nation to enjoy optimum healthcare delivery, basic amenities like pipe borne water, constant electricity supply and access to primary healthcare are expected in the country. As at now, there are communities across the country that are yet to be connected to the national grid, there are also various parts of the country where common Nigerians drink only from streams that flow during the raining season.
We are of the opinion that to tackle the issue of public health, preventive measures must be put in place. These preventive measures are not far from basic provision of the government that each community needs to survive. The government must be sincere enough to ensure that Nigerians have access to water, power, good road network with drainages.
We hold that not only must the government make these provisions; Nigerians must be enlightened to take personal responsibility of their health. Taking this responsibility is the step to a healthy nation.
While the government provides all these, the responsibility for the maintenance of these amenities rests on all Nigerians. Nigerians must note that when drainages are free of plastic and other waste, malaria is easily prevented. More also, the government may provide all the needed amenities yet Nigerians must learn to take responsibility for their personal health by ensuring that all safety precautions are adhered to.
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