Journalists sensitised on WHO Health Academy project

World Health Organization, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and the Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, recently organised a daylong sensitization for journalists on the WHO health academy project.

Speaking at the ceremony held at the national malaria control conference hall in kanifing, Momodou Gassama of WHO said: “This health academy project is WHO’s initiative to create a global health and technology network and is unique as it provides health information to the general public for health improvement.”

 He added that they did choose schools for the campaign because providing health information is an organised field governed by principles.

This initiative came in 2009 with its partners, Mr Gassama said, adding that they targeted children at the age of 8 - 25 years, piloted in Egypt and Jordan in 2004 as well as in Ghana and The Gambia.

“The project has been piloted at 39 senior schools from the rural and urban areas,” he said.

Mr Gassama finally thanked both ministries for taking up the project for which they have had tremendous achievements.

For his part, Momodou Njie of the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, said his ministry for a long time now has partnered with WHO in promoting better education in The Gambia. Since then tremendous efforts have been made by the WHO in promoting quality science education in The Gambia.

Mr Njie said that in the strive towards achieving quality education, the Gambia government cannot do it alone; it needs partners in development like the WHO to come on board.

“The recently donated computer equipment to schools with ICT facilities by the WHO does not just uplift the level of awareness in ICT as we are in the computer age, but has also made work easy to its beneficiary,” he said.

Mr Njie also said the knowledge gained by the students from the health information-sharing will go the extra mile in promoting the teaching and learning of science in schools. “It however needs reliable partners like the WHO to provide standard and quality education in The Gambia, which is a dream of President Jammeh and his government,” he says, adding that his ministry’s doors are wide open for such partners like the WHO to create an environment conducive for students in The Gambia.

“We will be always ready to work hand in glove with such partners to achieve the government’s vision 2020,” he said, whilst thanking the WHO for its support.

Omar Badjie of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in his remarks on the occasion, said they have been working with the WHO as partners in development for a long time. “ The Gambia is among the countries that piloted the modules of the health academy project in Africa,” he added.

Francis Mendy, secretary general of the Association of Health Journalists, who chaired the occasion, described the project as “timely”.