HEALTH TIMES-an integrated news website, wholly dedicated to reporting the Nigerian health sector has been launched
The website, www.healthtimes.ng according to the Founder/ Editor-In-Chief, Kingsley Obom-Egbulem would cover the Nigerian health sector like never before.
“From communicable to non-communicable diseases, medical tourism, public health epidemics, infant and maternal health, epidemiology of and health promotion, activities in the pharmaceutical market particularly the fight against fake drugs and abuse of prescription drugs,” Obom-Egbulem stated.
He said the website would also feature patient diaries and compelling insights from physicians and therapists who would form the core of the website’s contributors.
“HEALTH TIMES intends to satisfy the need for useful, well researched stories and insights on the Nigerian health sector written in an engaging language.
“We want to leverage the power of social media to access and share life saving news and information that can reverse growing cases of preventable deaths due largely to lack of useful news and applicable health information. That is what HEALTH TIMES is all about; news and insights about your health.”
According to the Editor-In-Chief, HEALTH TIMES, which began as a blog offering researched and well-written features, special reports, exclusive interviews and analysis of major health stories recently expanded its scope to serve as the hub for news, information and debates on critical health issues in Nigeria.
“We are creating a market place of ideas for Nigerians to engage with those they trust with their health and lives and we believe this is long overdue.
“Health news in most Nigerian dailies seldom lead the papers either as major front page or back page stories unless there is an epidemic, a major health event is happening or a personality is in town. Even in these circumstances, health is reported as an event not necessarily as an issue with far-reaching economic ,social and even security implication.
“This is an anomaly that reflects poor health story telling, weak understanding of the right to health, poor priority given to the place of health system reforms ,universal access to quality and affordable health care and preventive medicine especially through health education through the media.
“It is also an indictment on reporters who expect health news to just drop on their laps. When it comes to health, the news doesn’t just happen or break, you happen to the news; you literally break it. You ask critical questions and the answers you get becomes your breaking news.
“For instance, how many professors of medicine are still teaching in our colleges of medicine and how many are required to produce the quality of doctors Nigeria needs now? How old is the curriculum used in training our nurses and doctors and how much of 21st century realities can it address? Whoever gives us these information is the one breaking the news and that’s what HEALTH TIMES is committed to do.”
HEALTH TIMES, Obom-Egbulem added, would not only hold government accountable for actions and inactions on health but would also provide a “virtual people’s court “ where anyone can be put on trial for mismanaging the health of Nigerians.
“We must start to engage so as to proliferate health information. Let’s keep talking and doing something about our health care system because if we remain silent and allow politicians to keep politicking with our health, by the time they are out of office, we would definitely have need for more morgues, hospices and graveyards.
Noting that Health news competes with football, entertainment, celebrity gossips and the horse-trading within our political clime, Obom-Egbulem said “because health is a matter of life and death, health news must compete well and that means being innovative. It also means that health news should be sexy, sassy and smashing without losing its ability to catalyse positive change”.
For more information about HEALTH TIMES contact:editor@healthtimes.ng
