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| Garba Muhammed Chairman KADHAMA |
The Chairman of the Kaduna Health Advocacy and Media Alliance (KADHAMA), Garba Muhammad, has called on media practitioners to embrace evidence-based reporting to combat health sector misinformation and drive policy accountability across Kaduna State.
Speaking during his opening goodwill message at a capacity-building workshop organized in partnership with the USAID Integrated Health Program (IHP) and the EngenderHealth consortium, Muhammad commended the organizers for delivering a timely intervention for local journalists.
"At a time when misinformation can undermine public confidence in the health sector, evidence-based journalism has become more important than ever," Muhammad stated. He noted that equipping journalists with tools like Integrated Supportive Supervision (ISS) data, Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) indicators, and Primary Health Care (PHC) scorecards enables reporters to move beyond routine event coverage.
According to Muhammad, leveraging data will allow journalists to produce impactful stories that promote accountability, influence health policy, and improve primary healthcare delivery. Reaffirming KADHAMA’s commitment to strengthening health journalism for better regional health outcomes, he encouraged participants to leverage the workshop to give citizens a voice and inspire positive action.
In his message, the Executive of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board who was represented by Assistant Director of the Kaduna State Primary Health Care Board, Dr Joseph Natsah Jokshan emphasized the strategic necessity of media collaboration in translating health data into public awareness and administrative action.
He highlighted that empirical data remains the bedrock of effective health sector administration, ensuring management makes informed decisions rather than relying on unverified assumptions.
"Without data, we will not be making the right decisions," the Board representative stated, emphasizing that strong media partnerships are essential to keeping the public informed about developments across primary healthcare facilities.
The Board reaffirmed its open-door policy for media collaborators, calling on journalists to actively engage with health indicators to foster transparency and build a shared understanding of healthcare delivery challenges and successes in Kaduna State.
Dr Abdulazeez Jumare, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning (MERL) Manager at EngenderHealth Nigeria, also spoke, explaining that the quarterly Integrated Supportive Supervision exercise assesses the functionality and readiness of primary healthcare facilities while identifying both progress made and gaps in service delivery.
He noted that data from the exercise equips government agencies and stakeholders with evidence for informed decision-making, and provides a foundation for dialogue aimed at improving healthcare services.
Jumare called on journalists to handle health data responsibly, producing balanced reports that capture both government achievements and the challenges still facing the health sector.
He emphasized that media coverage should be grounded in evidence, and that government institutions should be given the chance to respond to issues raised before publication, to ensure fairness and accuracy.