‘Make health issues a priority’

The newly formed Media Network for Health Journalists (MNHJ) has said media practitioners should help the country place health issues on top of the national agenda.

MNHJ has been formed following the establishment of regional platforms with support from Ministry of Health’s Support for Service Delivery Integration (SSDI) and Galaxy Media.

Speaking at a meeting in Lilongwe, Galaxy Media programmes manager Benson Nkhoma Somba said while the country has a vibrant media industry, issues of health continue to be on the peripheral of the media agenda.

He, therefore, said MNHJ will help journalists tackle challenges such as resource availability to help the media acquire new skills.

“It’s often said that newsrooms in the country are facing critical resource challenge, but that is not the only reason journalists are not able to fully cover the health sector; there is also the issue of priorities, forgetting that health is very important,” said Nkhoma Somba.

SSDI team leader Joel Suzi said the institution decided to partner with journalists in the country to ensure the media maximise their potential in contributing to the improvement of the health sector.

Briefs

PP, Aford hail alliance for North support

People’s Party (PP) and Alliance for Democracy (Aford) have expressed satisfaction over the impact of their electoral alliance, saying it gave PP’s presidential candidate Joyce Banda an advantage over other candidates in the Northern Region. Aford president Enoch Chihana said in an interview his party was given the task to woo the North support for Banda. PP acting secretary general Paul Maulidi said the alliance worked to Banda’s advantage, “but, unfortunately, the election was rigged”. —GEORGE SINGINI, Staff Reporter