The Media Action for Health, Environment and Sustainable Development (MAHESD) has thrown their weight behind the details released by the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA)which revealed that Nigeria has lost out over 9000 medical practitioners to western communities between 2016-2018.
MAHESD while expressing worry over the situation notes that while prevention is the point of emphasis seems to have failed; it therefore indicates that medical practitioners in the country remain overwhelmed and strained by the stress of attending to patients there by speaking to the sad reality of 1 doctor to 5000 patients.
This was contained in a statement issued by the group to commemorate the 2022 World Health Day. The group used the opportunity to call on Governments at all levels to prioritize the health and well being of its citizens by ensuring that there is an increase in budgetary allocation/releases to the health sector, and to also ensure that environmental laws are adhered to, in order to ensure a healthy population.
MAHESD is concerned about a healthy population and hence wishes to state that the there is a nexus between a healthy environment and a healthy people while noting that the former cannot exist without the latter.
The group noted that according to the World Health Organisation (2020) which pointed out that in the midst of a pandemic, a polluted planet, increasing diseases like cancer, asthma, heart disease, WHO will 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.
WHO estimates that more than 13 million deaths around the world each year occur due to avoidable environmental causes. This includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The climate crisis is also a health crisis.
MAHESD therefore appeals to citizens to ensure a clean environment as it will translate to a healthy population. It also calls on the media to intensify awareness on sanitation while calling on government to reintroduce monthly sanitation exercise observed on Saturdays while it makes available waste collection bins to avoid it littering streets.
Nigeria Star News 