Under their umbrella Busoga Health Press Group, journalists organized a one-day health camp on Monday at Busoga Kingdom Headquarters in Bugembe, Jinja City, targeting pregnant mothers to address pregnancy-related health issues.
The group also launched monthly health education press briefings where health experts will address the media on various health matters to sensitize the community and promote accurate information.
Dr. Andrew Balyeku, Busoga Kingdom’s Minister for Health, who presided over the events, emphasized, “Journalists must collaborate with medical personnel to address health misinformation and save lives.”
The Kyabazinga minister was pleased with the journalists’ initiative of putting the focus on health reporting, stressing that the beat would significantly impact the Busoga community with healthy residents.
According to him, local residents are influenced by traditional myths about some diseases, which he said can cause harm to many. He encouraged people to put trust in professional medical workers instead of self-medication and traditional norms.
Dr. Alfred Yayi, Director of Jinja Regional Hospital, commended journalists for taking the lead in educating communities on health, urging mothers to “always prioritize going to health facilities for medical attention instead of resorting to traditional remedies.”
Dr. Yayi told journalists that Jinja Hospital needs more maternal services as about 530 deliveries are registered in a month at the regional health facility. “Jinja Hospital is a very busy place when it comes to handling mothers, and there are a lot of needs in terms of infrastructure, staffing, and creating awareness,” said Dr. Yayi.
